


Fairy Coccyx

by RaccoonSinQueen



Category: Undertale
Genre: Beast Sans, Beauty and the Beast, F/M, General US!Papyrus, I'm trying new things, Not Disney but some disney themes, Pirate UF!Sans, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, Stockholm Syndrome, The little mermaid - Freeform, Warlock UF!Papyrus, and creepy as heck SF!Papyrus, fairy tale, fairytale, for the last one at least, mulan - Freeform, rapunzel - Freeform, so nothing new, surprisingly US!Papyrus is the most redeemable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 13:12:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18811585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaccoonSinQueen/pseuds/RaccoonSinQueen
Summary: Get it?? Because Coccyx is the TALE bone???Five one shots about certain fairy tales retold with some of our favorite skeletons!





	1. Mulan (Underswap Papyrus)

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go folks!
> 
> The only regret I have is not making one for Undertale Papyrus... Maybe sometime in the future... Maybe he's Gaston.

You held the sword to your hair, your hands unwillingly shaking. Even though you were completely determined, you couldn't help your hesitation. After all, you had been growing your hair since you were small... but hair was just stuff. You didn't need any extra stuff.

 

So with one slice, it was cut. You stared a bit in shock, as if you hadn't actually just did that, but then shook your head to regain your senses. Setting aside your hair, you slid your father's sword back into it's sheath.

 

You sighed.

 

It was too late to go back now, you knew that was the final trigger. You quickly and quietly grabbed your bag and left into the shadowed night, leaving behind the comfortable life you knew for the sake of your family.

 

* * *

 

Well, there you were. Right outside of the army camp. All you had to do was just march in. That's it. Just march in, tell the commander or colonel or main guy or whatever that you were here in place of your father. Done, just like that.

 

So just.

 

Take.

 

A step.

 

Into the camp.

 

Right now.

 

Go.

 

Just.

 

TAKE!

 

A!

 

STEP!

 

ALREADY!!

 

Why was this so hard? You already predetermined you were going to do it, so just do it! But something about the beating of your heart thumping against your chest and the ringing in your ears made you take a step away. 

 

You sighed, maybe you should just go get some water by the river and then try again after you were refreshed.

 

You dejectedly turned around, tugging on your red (and actually really heavy) armour, as you made your way bake to the river. As you knelt down, you scooped a little bit into your hands and splashed your face. With a long drawn out sigh, you felt maybe a little better, but the scrambling feeling of butterflies didn't leave your stomach. If you were found out, surely you'd be killed...

 

"HELLO, TRAVELER!"

 

"Ah!" You jumped back, concequentially falling on your rear.

 

"SORRY!" The carrier of the loud voice smiled. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU!" 

 

As you came back to your senses, your eyes scrolled the monster up and down. He was an odd looking skeleton monster, that was for sure... the first thing you noticed was how short he was. The next thing you noticed were his bright blue eyelights. The last thing was his blue armour. Oh wait,  _armour_. 

 

"You didn't-!" You cleared your throat, putting on your best and lowest man voice. " _You didn't scare me. I was trying to -er- scare_ you _._ "

 

The monster titled his head, "WHAT?"

 

" _Never mind._ " You quickly said, standing up, and brushing off your amour. " _Don't think about it too much._ "

 

"PFFT!" He laughed. At least he wasn't awkward or weird about it... A little loud, though. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE, STRANGER?"

 

Sweet! An easy in! You cleared your throat, straightening your back and puffing out your chest, " _I'm looking for the barrison brigade bunch."_

 

"THE ARMY CAMP?"

 

" _Obviously._ "

 

The little monster started to laugh, "YOU'RE A PRETTY FUNNY GUY, DID YOU KNOW THAT?"

 

Yeah, a pretty funny  _guy_. " _That's what they tell me..."_

 

"WHAT'S YOUR NAME, STRANGER?"

 

You scanned your mind for the most casual and alusive name you could think of for a man. " _Ping_."

 

"PING?"

 

" _Ping_."

 

The monster looked at you a little funny, before shaking his head and smiling. "HELLO, PING! MY NAME IS BLUE!" 

 

Nailed it. " _It's a pleasure to meet you, Blue._ "

 

"THE PLEASURES ALL MINE!" Blue started to walk, and you followed. "WHO'S FAMILY DO YOU REPRESENT?"

 

" _I'm from the_ -" But you were cut off as you ducked when a bowl flew over your head. Upon second glance, Blue was taking you to the busy army camp that you  _were_  pumping yourself up to go into. Well, at least that was taken care of, but uhm... You couldn't help but notice the whole camp in a bustling riot. Monster and Human men from every kind seemed to be all communicating  _at_  each other at top volume, and more then a few of them were throwing punches. It made you wonder what you were walking into.

 

"YOU'RE FROM THE...?"

 

You realized he was waiting for you to answer. Scrambling to pull out your scroll, you whipped it up in the air and nervously said, " _The Fa family!_ "

 

"FA PING?" 

 

" _Y-yes._ " You dodged a spoon.

 

"THAT'S REALLY COOL!" He smiled even brighter, "I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE FAMILY'S AROUND THIS AREA, BUT MY BROTHER DOES!"

 

" _Your brother?_ " You imagined a skeleton monster just like Blue, but red. And maybe a bit edgy.

 

"YES! YOU'LL PROBABLY GET TO MEET HIM SOON!"

 

" _Why-?_ "

 

All of the sudden, a bowl hit Blue right in the head with a loud SMACK.

 

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" You said, coming to his aid.

 

"OOOWWWWW..." Blue rubbed his head periodically, and you almost thought you saw blue pinpricks in his eye sockets.

 

You looked up to see a slightly pale monster behind Blue. "Ack! Er, sorry Blue! Don't tell-!"

 

Before he could finish, you had already grabbed a nearby pan and smacked the monster upside the face. 

 

"Watch where you're aiming, you made him cry!" 

 

"I-I'M NOT CRYING!" Blue said, quickly whiping his tears.

 

"You jerk!" The monster rubbed his jaw, grabbing a nearby pot. He then reared up, ready to take a strike. "What makes you think you can-!"

 

You braced yourself, wincing for the hit that was surely to come. But after waiting a few seconds, eyes closed, you realized maybe it wouldn't come? You peaked an eye open, before you opened your eyes wide with surprise.

 

"O-Orange!" The monster stuttered.

 

Another skeleton monster, this one much taller and much more tired looking, had grabbed the monsters arm and kept him from hitting you. You couldn't help but notice how lazily he wore his armour, bits and pieces missing more as if it were a bother rather than a protection.

 

"since when do we fight with each other rather than the enemy, now?"

 

Letting him go, the other monster stumbled away from the tall skeleton monster, stuttering out, "I-I didn't start it, he just smacked me in the face with a pan for no reason-!"

 

"It was too for a reason!" You bit. "You threw a bowl at his head!" You gestured to Blue, who was trying to recollect himself.

 

"I-I'M GOOD!" Blue stuttered, waving his hands in the air. "IT DIDN'T EVEN HURT A LIT-TLE!"

 

"is that so?" The tall skeleton smiled at the startled monster. His voice was sweet, like honey, but you found a little less nonchalantness in it. "and what were you doing throwing bowls around?"

 

"I-It was an accident!" 

 

"'course it was." He shrugged, "i wasn't accusing you for anything."

 

The monster let out a sigh of relief.

 

"i'll see you in my tent in ten minutes."

 

"Hrk-!" The monster almost choked.

 

The tall skeleton snickered at this, "just to make sure accidents like these don't happen again."

 

"Y-yes, commander..." The monster said, dejectedly, before slumping away. 

 

Commander? You took a wild guess that this was Blue's brother, but only because he was the only other skeleton around that you could see. Maybe that was assumptuous? Oh well, that didn't matter. What mattered was that "Commander Orange" was now done with that monster as his gaze turned to you. His eyelights scrolled your body once, his resting smile never changing.

 

"as for you..." You straightened your back, looking him dead in the eye scokets as he spoke. "i haven't seen you around. just got here and already starting fights?"

 

You cleared you throat. What were you supposed to even say to that?

 

"it's like working with children." Commander Orange grumbled as he rolled his eyelights. "what family do you represent."

 

You almost jumped at the question. You had almost completely forgotten you were supposed to be a guy. Clearing your throat again, you pulled out the scroll again and held it up. " _I'm from the Fa family._ "

 

Commander Orange furrowed his brow. "the fa family?" 

 

" _I-I-_ "You gulped and nodded. " _I'm filling in for my father._ "

 

"hm." The commander took the scroll from your hands and looked it up and down. Seemingly unsatisfied, he looked to you again. "what was your name again?"

 

"HIS NAME IS PING!" You had never been more grateful for someone answering for you, especially when Blue jumped to your side so well. 

 

"ping?" Commander Orange snorted. "no, what's your real name?"

 

"HONEY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA LET THE OTHER MONSTER WAIT? IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE TIMELY!" He put his hands on his hips.

 

You would've laughed at the nickname Honey, if you weren't so nervous. It's something you'd only expect from a married couple.

 

The commander scrolled you once more. You couldn't help the feeling of his eyelights burning a hole straight through. But, eventually it passed, and he said. "fair enough, blue." You thanked the heavens for Blue. "as for you, fa, don't make it a habit of getting in trouble."

 

And just like that, he left, and you let go of the breath you were holding. But you weren't out of the neck of the woods yet. All of the sudden, you became acutely aware of all of the eyes on you. You supposed the commander and his brother were usually the center of attention (especially with a voice like Blue's and a demeanor like the commander's), and that seemed to be exactly what you were trying to avoid when you entered the camp. But hey, you've already made friends with one and raised suspicion with the other, so might as well own it at this point. You pointedly looked at the monsters, causing them to go back to what they were doing before.

 

"SORRY ABOUT HIM." Blue seemed to not even notice all of the eyes on the two of them. "HE JUST HAS NO TACT!"

 

You snorted at that. Says the one who shouted, "HELLO, TRAVELER!" at you as a greeting. " _Is that your brother_?"

 

"YES!" Blue smiled, "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

 

" _Lucky guess._ " You walked with him. " _But, I'm sure there are benefits to having the commander as your brother."_

"NOT ENOUGH WITH HIS LAZY BONES!" 

 

You laughed at that, " _You know? I think_ you're  _the funny one here, Blue."_

Blue blinked in surprised before bashfully smiling, "HAHA, THANKS! GOOD TO KNOW MY FRUSTRATIONS ARE FUNNY..."

 

You laughed again, slapping him on the back and giving him a start. " _Trust me, you're a riot!_ "

 

* * *

 

That day was probably the scaredest you've been in your life, but the load was much lighter because of Blue. You weren't incredibly sociable, in fact you avoided most anyone except Blue like the plague. But it kind of worked out, because most everyone avoided Blue like the plague. You figured it had something to do with not wanting to mess up and make the commander mad, but you didn't know why? He was hardly ever around? You maybe saw him  _once_ , in passing? And the moment you made eye contact (or eye socket contact) you directed Blue in a different direction. You figured the less time you spent around Commander Orange, the less likely he was to find out about your secret. 

 

Blue, on the other hand, was as oblivious as could be. Any slip ups, any accidental mistakes, anything would just fly right over his head. It was pretty great. You couldn't have picked a safer friend, especially since everyone avoids him. Not only that, but you actually grew to like him pretty well. He was a little loud and a little eccentric and a little childish at times, but he was also strikingly sweet and excitable compared to most of the other soldiers. Plus, there were times you were rolled over in laughter over a silly comment he made. 

 

That night, you slept in your armour. Yeah, it was uncomfortable and, yeah, you had your own tent, you just didnt want ro risk anything. Good thing too, because Blue came excitedly yelling at your tent early in the morning, and when he asked about your armour, you told him you just wanted to be ready for anything. He admired that.

 

After a light and quick breakfast, everyone was out and ready in a single file line. You chose to stay on the end. 

 

"good morning, soldiers." Commander Orange lazily kicked over a rock while picking something out of his teeth. Seems like someone isn't really a morning person. "nice to see you all right and in order."

 

You looked to see all of the other soldiers haphazardly placed in a line. You wouldn't call this "order" but you guessed it was alright.

 

"now that the last of us finally made it to the camp..." Commander Orange lazily grinned at you, but the unwanted attention just made you annoyed. Especially now that you heard a couple snickers from a certain familiar monster that you hit in the face with a pan and his friends. "we're heading west. since it took so long for everyone to make it, we have to double our pace."

 

Groans were heard everywhere. Great, now you were a jerk.

 

Commander Orange rolled his eyelights, "please, could i get a little cheese with that whine?" Now it was your turn to snicker, but everyone else shut up. "i don't want to hear it, unless you want me to triple our pace so i can get through your complaining faster. understood?"

 

"Yes, sir!" The whole camp recited at once.

 

"that's music to my ears." Commander Orange grinned. "now pack this camp up, i want us out of here in twenty minutes."

 

All of the sudden, while everyone was bustling around to pack up, you were shoved to the side by some monster. 

 

"Ow!" When you looked up, you noticed it was one of the three monsters who didn't seem to like you all too much. Somebody should hit them in the face with another pan, maybe their manners will kick in. But you kept your temper in check, mostly because you became distinctively aware of the fact that Blue wasn't here. He was with you to get you up, but he wasn't in the line up? Where did he...?

 

"looking for blue?"

 

You almost jumped three feet at the commanders voice. He was leaning toward you, that lazy expression on his face not changing. You cleared your throat, " _Er, yes_."

 

"he's packing up. he doesn't often come to the morning line ups."

 

" _Got it._ " To be honest, you were curious as to why he doesn't. But you decided you'd ask Blue about that later. You gave the commander a thumbs up and then a wave, trying to make a smooth exit. " _Good to know. I'll just go and pack-!_ "

 

But the commander ignored you attempts at escape, "ping, was it? is it a family name?"

 

" _I have lots of things to take care of-_ "

 

"who all is in your family? have any brothers or sisters?"

 

" _Wow, my tent really looks like it needs to be taken care of! I should go-_ "

 

"you look pretty young to be going out to war, why didn't your father-?"

 

"Commander-!" You quickly shut your mouth at the slip up while your face burned hotter than the sun, but you seemed to notice the corners of Commander Orange's grin turn up. You couldn't tell if he was onto you or he just thought your voice cracked and was laughing at your failure. Either one made you want to punch him. You cleared your throat again, " _Gotta go pack!_ " 

 

And with that, you busted into a full sprint to your tent, not even looking behind to see if he was watching. Crap! What was with the interrogation?! You had to be more careful! You decided to make it a goal to avoid the commander as much as possible. You could tell he was suspicious of you, for what yet? You didn't know. You were hoping he just thought you were an enemy spy. Wait... would that be any better, though?

 

You sighed. Regardless of what happens or what he thinks, you decided it was best to stick to your goal. 

 

* * *

 

The next couple days were not as easy as you had expected them to be. Yes, you didn't expect it to be a cake walk, but what you hadn't suspected was the terrain slowing you down. Ditches, hills, rivers, rocks, anything that could be an obstacle to stop you in your path was ready and able to slow you down. It was  _beyond_  disheartening, especially since it caused you to fall behind more than once or twice. Despite this, you did what you could to catch up everytime, your determination keeping you going. Plus, your burden was made a little lighter with Blue keeping you company and talking with you. He didn't even seem to notice when you'd fall behind. Either that, or he was just kind enough to not mention it or point it out. It seemed to be  pointed to the latter, but that just made you appreciate it even more.

 

The heckels and jeers from those three monsters who aren't too fond of you, on the other hand, was a little more than frustrating. If it wasn't bad enough that you were falling behind every once in a while, it was made even worse by a, "Who brought the teenager, he's dragging us behind!" or "What's wrong now, Ping, put your boots on the wrong feet!" or, your personal favorite, "You walk like a girl!" Regardless of their taunts, it wasn't very encouraging that these three took it upon themselves to be your personal bully. You had a feeling it sunk deeper than just you hit that one monster in the face with a pan (though that might contribute a little). You considered they were taking some of their frustrations of leaving their families behind out on you, so that made you feel at least a little better.

 

Didn't stop you from spitting in their food at dinner time.

 

As the sun began to set,  _finally_ Commander Orange stopped. Lucky for you, Commander Orange had been in the front of the army for most of the way. Every once in a while, he would fall back to chat with Blue, but everytime you'd "conveniently" fall back yourself, pretending to be tired from the rocks and awkwardly starting conversation with soldiers that were a little confused with these sudden social efforts. Commander Orange turned around, his hands in his pockets and said, "'aight. that'll work for today."

 

All at once, the whole army collapsed in a sigh of relief. Looks like you weren't the only one that was tired.

 

"froggit, lee, you two are on setting up the camp." He commanded, to their dismay. "whismum, wong, you're on watch duty. blue, ping? you two make dinner. the rest of you, set up your own tents."

 

Blue turned to you in excitement as everyone dispersed to themselves. "WE GET TO MAKE DINNER!"

 

We get to? More like you were ordered. " _How fun..._ "

 

"I KNOW!" Blue practically hopped to the cooking equipment. "HAVE YOU COOKED MUCH BEFORE?"

 

" _Hmm... Not really._ " You knew how to make tea, and maybe porridge, but that was it. 

 

"WELL," Blue grinned, excitedly, "NOT TO WORRY! I HAPPEN TO BE A MASTER CHEF!"

 

You chuckled at his excitement, " _Really?_ " Blue nodded. " _Alright then, Master Chef Blue, what's the first step?_ "

 

Blue beamed at the title you gave him, "OF COURSE! THE FIRST STEP IS THAT YOU HAVE TO FILL THIS-" Blue picked up a ginormous pot with ease, before dropping it into your hands. You, however, didn't not handle it with ease, stumbling back as it was dropped on you. "-WITH WATER!"

 

Sounds right. " _Yes, sir._ "

 

"NOW, ALLOW ME TO GET STARTED ON THE SEASONING!" Blue beamed, as he gestured to himself.

 

Did seasoning come first in cooking? Probably. You awkwardly stumbled towards the river, ginormous pot in hand, " _Good luck!_ "

 

* * *

 

You tilted your head as you looked at the vat of soup. " _Is it supposed to be that color?_ "

 

"MOST DEFINETELY!" Blue said, triumphantly, before he faultered for just a second. "OR AT LEAST PROBABLY... I'M MOST DEFINETELY MAYBE SURE!"

 

You shrugged, it was probably delicous. After all, he said he's been doing this a while. 

 

Blue held up a spoon to your mouth, "WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO TASTE IT?"

 

You sheepishly pushed the spoon away, "Er....  _I have a confession to make, Blue._ "

 

Blue pulled away the spoon with confusion, looking at you with those wide eyelights of his.

 

" _I may or may not have spoiled my apetite snacking on the ingredients._ "

 

"PING?!" Blue stomped, frustratedly, before wacking you with the spoon. "UGH! YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS MY BROTHER!"

 

"Ow!" You laughed, " _Sorry sorry! I couldn't help it, I was just so tired and hungry!_ "

 

"WELL, FINE THEN!" Blue turned away in a huff, "BUT THAT MEANS YOU'LL HAVE TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"

 

You tilted your head.

 

"YOU HAVE TO DISH UP EACH OF THE SOLDIERS MEALS!"

 

" _Awww!_ " You wrapped an arm around your short friend. " _Don't be like that!_ "

 

"NO BUTS!" Blue turned to you, spoon threateningly in hand. You held up your arms in surrender. "ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

 

" _Well,_ " You shrugged. " _If there is truly no other way to redeem my crimes..._ "

 

Blue dropped a tall tower of bowls into you arms. "GOOD LUCK, PING! I'LL CALL EVERYONE OVER!"

 

You sighed as your excitable friend left. You knew you shouldn't have snuck those carrots while you washed them. Though, you did think it was curious when Blue said he only wanted the tops of the carrots. But how could you resist throwing the rest of it away? Oh, well. Dishing out wouldn't be too much work.

 

As you scooped up a couple bowls of soup, myou noticed a line began to form without you even having to call anybody or order a line. You assumed this was Blue's doing.

 

You handed the first person in line a bowl. He looked at it for a second. "Is it supposed to be that color?"

 

" _Most definetely maybe._ "

 

He looked a little concerned, but then walked away with bowl in hand.

 

You gave the next guy in line a bowl too. He also looked at it funny, "Why does it smell like that?"

 

" _Because it tastes even better._ "

 

He, too, walked away a little confused.

 

You had to go back to get more bowls, but when you came back and gave the next guy in line his soup, he asked, "...Is this edible?"

 

" _Yes._ " Why wouldn't it be, you ate the ingredients and those were good?

 

This went on for quite a bit, and almost every single soldier asked questions of similar nature. Oh well, they wouldn't know it was good until they tried it themselves, afterall. And luckily, Blue seemed to make more than enough for everybody to even have seconds. 

 

And then the three monsters who don't seem to like you very much showed up in line. 

 

You almost laughed, they were all crossing their arms all grumpy-like. It was obvious they didn't want to be served by you, but sometimes you have to do hard things in life. You knew that moral all too well. 

 

They stayed silent as they came to the front of the line. You could've been a jerk and stayed silent yourself, forcing them to ask for a bowl of soup. But, as tempting as that sounded, you didn't want to cause more of a ruckus than you already had. You handed the first one a bowl of soup, " _Here. I have to go back and get two more_."

 

The three of them didn't even acknowledge you in the slightest, but you didn't care. You went back and got two bowls.... And spit in them. Ha! Silent revenge....

 

You brought the bowls back, a little more happy than usually, but all of that stopped when you saw the first monster spitting and hacking all over the floor. "What happened?"

 

"Y-You poisoned me!" He hissed, biting at you.

 

You were backtaken. "N-no!"

 

"What is your problem with me?!" He yelled, furiously.

 

"I didn't poison it!" You yelled back, shoving the bowls into the hands of the two monsters next to you. "How could I have even poisoned it, I didn't even know which bowl I was going to give you!?"

 

"Ugh! I can't get the taste out of my mouth!" He scratched at his tongue, "What did you put in it?!"

 

"I said I didn't-!"

 

"what's going on?" You turned to see Commander Orange with Blue by his side. Blue looked pretty concerned with everything, but the commander just looked annoyed.

 

"WHY IS EVERYBODY YELLING?"

 

"Ping  _poisoned_ me!" He pointed. 

 

The commander and Blue looked to you surprised, but you were just furious at the accusation.

 

"You are a  _liar_!" You seethed, "I didn't  _touch_  your food!!"

 

" _You're_ the liar!" He bit back. "Don't try and tell me it's not poisoned, when I can feel it on my tongue-"

 

Commander Orange took the bowl out of his hand, took a spoonful, and then ate it. 

 

"C-commander-!" The monster started.

 

"it tastes fine." The commander said, "there's definetely no poison."

 

You turned triumphantly to the monster in question, but he was shaking with disbelief.

 

"Th-That can't be!" The monster hissed. "Then you must've purposefully made it taste bad!! It was disgusting! Just horrible! And you did it on purpose!" You stopped, before turning to Blue. Blue was standing  _right there_! How could he say such horrible things?! Blue looked to the ground intensely, and familiar Blue pinpricks began to form. "How sick can you be to make something just to make someone suffer!! I didn't even know you could make food that bad-!"

 

" _stop-_ " You barely noticed Commander Orange's tightened expression. But you didn't have anytime to dwell on his enraged demeanor, not when you grabbed the bowl in Commander Orange's hand and slammed it into the monsters face.

 

"Well, maybe you need to taste it better!!" You yelled.

 

"GAH!" The monster cried, "It's in my eyes!" You have to admit, that brought you the slightest bit of satisfaction. What didn't leave you satisfied was the boiling rage seething underneath said bowl. " _You little-!"_

_"_ **ping.** " You jumped and shuttered at the low tone. You turned to the commander, biting your lower lip in a nervous fashion. " _my tent._ **now.** "

 

You wanted to strangle the monster that got you into this mess, but you were sure that would only get you into more trouble. You gulped before timidly nodding, and following the tall, a-little-terrifying, skeleton. You didn't dare look at the 3 monsters who don't like you very much, out of not wanting to see their smug expressions, but you did catch a glance from Blue. He looked a little upset, but more worried for you than anything. You threw him a smile, before nervously following the commander.

 

When you reached his tent, he actually walked past the tent and headed for the river behind it. You toyed with your fingers as you followed him. Just as he reached the edge of the river bank, you opened your mouth, "I didn't-!"

 

You felt a cool hand rest on your head. Huh? This wasn't rage??

 

"that..." You heard him laugh for just a small second. "i'm gonna be honest, that was pretty funny."

 

You sheepishly moved his hand to the side, only to see his expression was alot lighter than you'd expect it to be. 

 

"he didn't even see it coming, before-" He clapped his hands together, "-splat!"

 

You squinted at him. Welp, glad your rage filled lash out was funny to him. "Er... Thanks."

 

Commander Orange leaned back on a tree. "your welcome, but not for what you're thinking." 

 

You tilted your head.

 

"he was going to start throwing some punches, and you definetely wouldn't have survived."

 

That was fair. Wait. You cleared your throat, " _Wh-what makes you think I couldn't have taken him?_ "

 

Commander Orange rolled his eyelights. "are you really going to play this game with me?"

 

You swallowed, unable to look him in the eyelights. Whether he was talking about the fact that you looked weaker or that you were a girl, you didn't want to guess, so you continued to play dumb. " _I don't-_ "

 

" _ping._ " He took a step closer to you, and you took a step back. "look at me when you're talking to me."

 

" _I-!_ " When you looked at him, you couldn't help but shrink back. For whatever reason, it was  _beyond_  hard lying to him. " _I don't know what you're talking about..._ "

 

Commander Orange's brow twitched at the statement. He took another step closer to you, " _ping_ , would you do anything i'd tell you?"

 

You stepped back at the question. " _I, uhm, yes._ "

 

"that's yes,  _sir_."

 

" _Y-yes, sir._ "

 

The commander grinned at this. "i would hope so, i am your commander." You got the feeling like you weren't going to like where this was going. "then take off your armour."

 

"What?!" You gaped.

 

You could see him barely keeping in his laughter. "you said you'd do anything. last time i checked, that was part of anything."

 

You burned holes into the ground with your eyes, your face warming by the second. " _J-just the outer-_ "

 

" _all of it._ "

 

"Wh-Why?!" You bit at him.

 

"it doesn't matter why." He shrugged. "so take it off."

 

"I don't-!" You turned to either side of you, as if looking for an escape. " _I-It wouldn't be wise, in case of an ambush_."

 

" _ping,_ " He kept saying your name in the same tone, as if he didn't believe it. "i am pretty well versed in the art of war, and i'm saying it's safe. so take off your armour."

 

"No!" You almost yelled.

 

The commander grinned at this, "why?"

 

You gulped and took a step back. He took a step forward.

 

" _I don't... want to..._ "

 

"that's not a good reason." Commander Orange took another step forward, and you took another step back. "just seconds ago you said you'd do anything i'd tell you."

 

You took another step back and he took another step forward.

 

"what's the problem, if we're both guys here?"  _If_ was the key word he used, and you didn't miss it. 

 

" _Stop._ " 

 

But he didn't, "you're a little strange,  _ping_. how nobody has ever heard of you before, how you avoid me and most everyone at every chance you get, how you sleep in your armour-" Did Blue tell him that? "how your voice changes, how your so skin is so soft, how your hips move?"

 

Wait, what were those last ones?

 

Suddenly, one more step back and you were hit against a tree. Without warning, Commander Orange grabbed your jaw and tilted your head to the side as if inspecting you. "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were a girl."

 

You smacked his hand to the side, fear bubbling inside of you. But tried as best as you could to keep your expression straight. "How did you figure it out?"

 

The commander took a step back with the widest grin, and you let go of the breath you were holding. "the fa family only has daughters."

 

You could almost feel yourself starting to cry. Would he send you home? Would he have you killed? You didn't want to think about it, so you just bore holes into the ground once more, unwilling to look to him. "What... What are you going to-?"

 

"i'm going to send you-"

 

"No!" You grabbed hold of his arm. "Don't send me home!"

 

He looked confused at first, unsure of how to proceed. "fa, you won't survive out here. you barely kept yourself from passing out from a  _walk_. i'm not gonna let you get yourself killed."

 

"Please..." It took every piece of will power you had to keep from crying. "Please, don't send me home. I-I can't-"

 

"why?"

 

You looked away from him. It was like... pulling teeth letting anyone know so much about you...

 

"give me a good reason, and i might let you stay."

 

You looked to him in surprise. He was serious, as far as you could tell... You let go of his arm and looked away. "I..." Why was this always so hard? "My father... he would've had to have gone to war."

 

He looked to you as if he knew that couldn't be it. "okay..."

 

"He was crippled from the last one." You closed your eyes. "He would have had a better chance of surviving if he would jump off a cliff."

 

There was a long silence. You didn't know if he didn't know what to say, or if he was debating on whether or not that was a good reason. Regardless, you refused to look at him.

 

"you..." You kept your eyes close. "tomorrow morning, i want you to meet me here. before dawn."

 

You furrowed your brow, before opening your eyes. "Why?"

 

This time, it was his turn to not look at you. He was staring straight into the river. "if you are going to stay, you're going to need some extra training. you're going to have to work harder than the rest, can you do that?"

 

You blinked. You didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. "Y-yes, commander!" You grabbed his arm again, simply out of sheer relief. "Thank you!"

 

Commander Orange almost jumped at the sudden touch, but then smiled at your sign of gratitude. Then, out of nowhere, he ran his phalanges through you hair. "lesson number one: don't hold onto other guys like that. it's easy to tell your a girl, even through your armour."

 

"Ah!" You immediately jumped back. This was going to be a long few months.


	2. The Little Mermaid (Underfell Sans)

You leaned on the palm of your hand as a long drawn out sigh left from you. You watched dreamily as the groups of people laughed and sang together. Even from your secluded, hidden little cove, you could see the towns people enjoying the night around the bright, burning fire. Fire! Such a foreign term to you, but you remember distinctly the land dwellers talking about it's warmth and comfort. At first, you thought it had to be something so dangerous! Afterall, it ate everything it touched! But seeing the land dwellers so jovial and happy as they danced together, held eachother, and laughed with one another around the fire, you had to conclude that it couldn't have been something so bad!

 

You shifted closer as you saw the land dwellers embrace one another's company. Sisters laughing with sisters, brothers boasting with brothers, lovers, well, loving eachother! So jolly and merry, it seemed as if it didn't matter who you were, you were apart of the party! You loved how they would join together in song and in dance, drinking and eating together. It was almost as if the very notion warmed your heart more than any fire would!

 

Oh, you wanted to join them  _so bad_! You wanted to sing with them, and laugh with them, and boast with them too! You wondered what it'd be like to dance or to run, but one look at your tail told yourself you may never know... But you wanted to see what made them so happy! You wanted to know what it was like to explore the land with land dwellers! What was so warm about fire? What was so warm about land dwellers?

 

But alas, unless someone moved you around in a big water bowl, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Plus, land dwellers always seemed to freak out whenever they saw a mermaid like you, either with fear, excitement, or greed. You didn't want people to look at you any differently than the next land dweller! You didn't want to be oggled by them, you wanted to  _join_  them! 

 

But when could that ever happen? Definitely not in this life time... Maybe the next life time, though.

 

Before you could continue daydreaming about joining the land dwellers and seeing adventures outside of the ocean, you noticed that the joyful laughter and happy singing turned into fearfull yelling and angry cries. You almost jumped at the sudden change in mood! You couldn't imagine anything that could happen to disrupt-

 

Oh...

 

Pirates...

 

You had come across pirates once or twice. Not that you had ever talked to one before, you just witnessed them  _burning down and sinking other's ships_. From what you could tell, and what you knew from what you've heard, pirates were like sharks but worse. These sharks consumed everything in sight, taking and taking and taking, the only emotion they had was greed. Safe to say, you had never encountered a pirate before, and you surely never wanted to. Especially with all of the destruction in their path...

 

You wished you could go and help the people fighting and running, but to no avail, the only thing you could do was watch as they took almost everything. Despite everything, you began to see the land dwellers fighting a good fight back against these land sharks! The sight made you want to smile and cheer them on! They seemed to be beating them!

 

That was, until something you could only describe as a surge of magic pushed them back. Your face fell, and you held your hands to your mouth as you gasped. Just like that, the tables were turned and the land sharks were winning. You let out a melancholy sigh. But you supposed that was the circle of life. Just like a shark eating a school of fish, the pirates gutted out everything valuable from the town. 

 

"Come on, Red!" You heard a raspy voice call out, startling you out of your wits. You quickly swam behind a large rock to keep out of sight. "Finish this with us!"

 

"not interested." The low and gravely tune made you peek out just a bit to see who was talking. "finish it yerself, ya don't need me fer the rest of it!"

 

You heard a couple voices booing and jeering, before they faded away.

 

You watched carefully in the moonlight from behind the large rock. A monster, a skeleton in more specific, was tetering towards the water. He wore a long black coat that reached the tips of his boots, and a gold tooth reflected the moon's light. He tried to take a swig from the large bottle in his hand, but nothing was left. He let out a long, drawn out sigh before tipping his hat down and plopping down onto the edge of the cove, letting his boots soak in the cold water.

 

You leaned away from the rock. You didn't like to judge from appearences, but since the whole town was currently being pillaged by pirates, this guy didn't really seem like sound news. Maybe you could sneak away, without him noticing you were even there.

 

Just as you were about to swim off, something stopped you. The pirate mumbled something under his breath, and with a snap of his fingers his bottle was filled. With a wide smile, he took another chug from his drink. 

 

This pirate wasn't just any land shark, he was a witch! You had only heard about sea witches as roomers, but you had no idea they could be land dwellers too! Now, this was really bad business, you didn't want to attract any attention from this land shark! What if he cursed you? Or turned you into a-?

 

Wait...

 

"heh. heheh." You almost jumped at his sudden laughter, jolting your body against the rock to try to stay unseen. "am i too drunk, or do i see a little mermaid in the water?"

 

Drat! He caught you... Maybe you could pretend he was too drunk?

 

"well, are ya gonna sit there all day?"

 

Well, there goes that plan. You considered briefly swimming away, deep into the ocean where he couldn't follow, but something stopped you... And you knew exactly what it was.

 

You peeked out from behind the rock, your hands holding onto it as if it was your safety. He tipped his hat up to look at you better, "heh. well, that's surprising."

 

You tilted your head.

 

"i expected ya t'run away." He leaned back on one of his hands. "especially with a shy breed like yers."

 

Run away? You couldn't run, you had a tail! You pushed your hair behind your ears bashfully looking to the side. 

 

He let out a low and deep hum that almost brought shivers to your spine. "such a pretty little thing..." If his deep voice didn't make your skin crawl, his stare did, almost as if he was taking you with his eyes. "you know ya'd sell for such'a high price? and with such smooth skin, silky hair, and those sweet eyes... i could get a pretty penny fer a gem like you."

 

That was anything but comforting, in fact the way he spoke made you want to dive again. But... You were stopped again. You bit your lower lip.

 

You wanted to join the land dwellers  _sooo bad_! To join in on their laughter and their dancing and their warmth! What if this was your only chance? What if this was the one time you could join them! Even if it's making a deal with a land shark? You didn't know if this was possibly the wisest decision you'd ever make, but you knew for sure it was the most reckless! To think of the possibilities made your heart soar, but to think of the consequences? You didn't want to think of the consequences... 

 

"I..." You voiced, and it seemed to snap him out of his greed filled fantasy. "I bet you could?"

 

The land shark blinked, before barking out laughter. "ha! ya wanna get sold, little mermaid? i'm just sayin', i could make it happen, but i can't promise it'd be th'smoothest ride."

 

"I'm not saying that I  _want_  to get sold." You swam closer to him, leaning on the cove's floor next to him while avoiding eyecontact. "I'm just saying that you  _could_  sell me. I hear the land dwellers  _love_  rare creatures, and they talk of giving up shiny treasures for them."

 

"you'd be right, little mermaid." The land shark grinned, "i wonder how long you've been watchin' them t'figure that out?"

 

You decided to not answer that question. "With a price like mine, you'd be made a rich monster." For Neptune's sake, most land dwellers thought a  _whale_  was rare. A  _whale_.

 

He hummed in agreement. "a woman who knows her worth..." He started to toy with your hair. "please tell me ya aren't tempting me just t'torture me?"

 

"Not... entirely..." You looked to the side, pushing his hand away. How were you going to go about this? "I was thinking you and I... could make a deal of some sort?"

 

"a deal?" The pirate's grin widened in amusement, "doll, hasn't anyone told ya it's a bad idea to make a deal with'a scary pirate like me?"

 

"Hmmm..." You pretended to think. "Well, I was thinking about it before, but I guess you're right. Maybe I should..."

 

Just as you were about to swim away, he grabbed your arm. "quit playin' coy, mermaid, and get t'the chase."

 

Ha. Got him.

 

You grabbed his hand, looking him dead on with excitement in your eyes. "You're a witch!"

 

The land shark almost jumped from your shift of tone, and for once his grin actually fell. It made you feel the littlest bit of accomplishment. He eyed you up and down as if he was examining you to discover your motives, before finally he swiped his hand back and shrugged.

 

"guilty." With a wink and a snap of his fingers, his bottle was filled once again! Huh, there was a strange yellow liquid inside. You couldn't tell what it was, but it must've been good since he took a long swig.

 

At first, you beamed at the gesture. But then you furrowed your brow at a realization that you had. "... Is ... Is that the only trick you can do?"

 

All of the sudden, you felt him slap his jug across the back of your head, "whaddya want?"

 

"Ow!" You rubbed your head, "Okay, sorry sorry! Is it possible..." You had never voiced your dreams aloud, it was actually a little nerve wracking.You swallowed. "...Is it possible to transform something into something else?"

 

The land shark looked to you with a grin on his face, "doll, i can turn dust into diamonds and-" He snapped his fingers, and in a spur of hisses, his bottle turned into a flurry of eels! All writhing and seething! You jumped at the suddenness of the magic trick, only to flinch away as he let the eels go into the cove's water before disappearing all together. "-sweet into sour."

 

You cleared your throat as you felt yourself pale, a little fear seeping in. It was just a simple reminder of what you were dealing with, and it was nothing docile. Despite this, you continued to push your fears aside. "C-Could you turn my tail into legs?"

 

The pirate blinked. "ya want legs, little mermaid?"

 

You nodded.

 

With a burst of laughter, the pirate was doubled over onto his back! You had no idea  _why_  he was laughing but, quite frankly, it made you a little annoyed... Afterall, you had kept this dream silent for who knows how long, and he was just sitting there laughing at it! So rude... "bwahaha! oh, hahaha!  _you!_  you want  _legs!_?"

 

"Well,  _yes!_ " You huffed. "There's nothing wrong with that!"

 

"oh, love, hahaha!" He whipped a nonexistant tear from his eyesockets as his laughter died down, "you wouldn't survive three days. ha. that's pretty funny."

 

"Excuse me?" You said, a little offended.

 

"ya heard me right, doll." The pirate leaned on his knee to get closer to you. "i'd give you three days before ya'd quit."

 

You furrowed your brow, before crossing your arms. "Well, that's presumptuous of you."

 

"it ain't presumptuous, love, it's commin' sense." He shrugged. "hate t'be the bearer of bad news, but the surface ain't all it's cracked up to be. it's kill er be killed up here. if you weren't  _torn apart_  in three days, ya sure as stars would be beggin' me t'change ya back by that time." 

 

"It doesn't seem  _that_ bad!"

 

"yer wrong." He shrugged, "the surface s'alot different than what ya see in yer little cove, doll. ya might even meet more scoundrels like me."

 

You leaned closer to him, "Well, you don't seem that bad, either!"

 

"... ya don't know me well enough, love." He said with distaste.

 

Geez, now you knew why people didn't like pirates, not only did they consume everything in sight, but they were rude while they did it! But you decided to exercise a little bit of patience, not for his benefit but your own. "Well, then. Let's put it to the test?"

 

"yeah, little mermaid?" He seemed amused.

 

You held up three fingers. "You give me three days. Only three days. And if 

I survive  _and_ I don't ask to have my tail back, I win."

 

"and if ya win?"

 

"I get to keep my legs and stay on the surface."

 

The pirate squinted at you, "well, that's all well and good, but what if  _i_  win."

 

"If you win?" You didn't really want to think about if  _he_ wins. "Change me back, and I'm yours to keep. Whether to sell, or to show off, or whatever you want to do, I'd be yours."

 

He started to purr. "stars, love. don't promise such sweet things to me, i don't deserve it." Despite his words, his tone was laced with greed.

 

"So, do we have a deal?" You extended your hand to shake.

 

But instead of shaking your hand, he held up two fingers. "two things."

 

You tilted your head.

 

"first." He said. "'just survivin'' ain't gonna cut it. two easy. how about somethin' a little harder t'pull off... how about... a kiss?" The land shark grinned devilishly as he said those words.

 

You almost choked, "A  _what_?"

 

"get a 'land dweller' t'kiss ya by the end of the three days, and you get to keep yer legs." He shrugged, "stars, i'll even let ya change back wheneva ya want. but  _they_  have t'kiss you, not you kiss 'em."

 

"Er..." You looked away bashfully, and you could feel yourself blush a warm red. "Couldn't it be something like... a hug? Or a firm handshake?"

 

"ya don't wanna kiss anyone?" He tapped on his jaw in thought. "that's fair."

 

You exhaled. Maybe you had misjudged-

 

"if ya can count every piece of sand on the shore, the legs are yers."

 

You didn't misjudged. In fact, you under-judged. With a long drawn out sigh, you said, "Kissing is fine..."

 

He laughed, "atta girl! and then, second." You watched as he held up a second phalange. "magic  _that big_  isn't free, little mermaid. ya can't get somethin' outa nothin'. otherwise, this cove would be lined with gold right about now." 

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"what i mean is ya gotta give a little to get a little." The pirate waved his hand in the air, "a little... sacrifice if ya will. just to get the magic goin', somethin' of equal value."

 

You gulped. A sacrifice? What more could you give, your life was on the line! "Like... like what?"

 

"i don't know, yer first born child-?"

 

" _No!_ "

 

"alright, alright!" He put his hands up in defense, "hmm... how about... yer voice?"

 

"My voice?" You frowned, before gently grazing your throat. "You mean... I wouldn't be able to talk?"

 

"er sing er laugh er whateva." He stated.

 

You couldn't... You furrowed your brow, "Is there... Is there something else I can give up?"

 

"it's only fer three days, love." He rolled his eyelights, "everythin' in this life comes with a price."

 

You exhaled. It was only for three days, so that wasn't to bad, but you still thought long and hard about it. Not having your voice would certainly make it harder to get someone to kiss you, since you couldn't just say, "Hey, kiss me right now, I made a deal with a pirate, and don't you want a pirate to lose?" But the odds really were in your favor for this one! It couldn't be too hard to get someone to kiss you, and this land shark was willing to give you legs! Not only that, but you could switch back whenever you wanted! This was too good to pass up, your dream was too close to be worrying about the little things. You were certain you could do this. Afterall, it was only three days?

 

"well, little mermaid?" The land shark leaned closer towards you, extending his hand. "too scared t'give up yer voice?"

 

Just as you were about to shake his hand, you stopped yourself. "Just one question."

 

"what." He said, dryly, obviously losing his patience.

 

"What was your name, land shark?"

 

He seemed to stop for just a heart beat, and you found yourself congratulating yourself once more. "th'name's red."

 

"Red?" You shook his hand with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Red."

 

With a quick tug, Red pulled you close to him, leaving you wide-eyed with shock. He traced his thumb from the base of your chin, down your throat, to the center of your collar bone. "ya won't be thinkin' that when yer beggin' me t'change ya back."

 

You tried to respond, to retort his cynical thinking, but you found yourself not even able to let out a squeak! It felt as if all the air in your body left you, but instead of air, it was your voice.

 

"hold onto somethin', love." 

 

Red snapped his fingers. Without even missing a beat, your body was weighed down underneath the water, sinking straight down into the cold depths. It felt as if somebody attached a rock to your tail! Why were you so-

 

You looked down. Legs! You had legs! No wonder it was so hard to swim, your tail was gone and replaced with a beautiful pair of legs! You kicked them back and forth, they worked so wonderfully! You were just-!

 

You were just...

 

Drowning.

 

Now you knew why land dwellers were so afraid of coming close to the water, you  _couldn't breath_! If you knew the waters were this dangerous, you would've stayed out of the water while you talked with the land shark! Thrashing your hands up to grab something, you managed to grab a hold of something leathery. Before long, you actually felt  _it_  start to pull  _you_  up!

 

All at once, you gasped in air, making it to the surface.

 

"stars, love! are ya tryin'a kill yerself-!?"

 

In an attempt to escape from the suffocating depths, you rammed yourself into the thing that lifted you up, tackling it to the ground as you tried to ignore the pounding in your head.

 

As you took deep breaths, you began to gain your bearings. You blinked and then blinked again, water dripping down your face. You were still in that same cove, but this time you were experiencing it from a more dry point of view. You noticed Red underneath you. So he must've been the thing that you grabbed onto? You would've considered the gesture kind, if it weren't for the fact that he probably just wanted you to be alive to lose. He was emanating heat underneath you, his face warm with a rose color, as his eyes didn't leave your body.

 

"heh. heheheh." His grin widened, but the heat from his face only grew warmer. "heheh. i need to make deals with mermaids more often."

 

You would have question his odd state, but you were two mesmerized by the new possibilities in front of you. Sitting on dry land wasn't new to you, but... standing on dry land...

 

You sat up, straddling Red's lap as you looked around just a bit more, before you shakily tried to stand. Your legs felt like noodles, and it was a little hard to get used to, but you managed to latch onto the cove's wall next to you.

 

Finding the security safe, you exhaled. Now you just needed to take...

 

One step...

 

Two step...

 

You were walking! You were actually  _walking_! Granted, you were practically connected to the wall, but you supposed that's why they called it  _wall_ -king! Haha! You were so excited by your accomplishments, that you turned to see Red leaning on the wall behind you.

 

"don't mind me, love." He gave you a thumbs up, his eyelights still glued to your body. Was he drooling? You couldn't tell. "yer doin' great."

 

Nice! You even got the land sharks approval! You had to be doing something right?

 

Three step...

 

Four step....

 

"well, you seem like ya have this under control." Red waved to you as he walked past with ease. "i'm probably gonna go steal somethin'-!"

 

You quickly rammed yourself back into Red. Though this time he didn't fall, you latched yourself to his shoulders.

 

"ow!" He hissed, before turning and trying to pry you off. "what's the deal?!"

 

He was the only land dweller you knew, he couldn't leave you alone! You knew nothing about this new world, but he did! Sure he was cynical and rooting for your downfall, but, despite everything, you were still a little too scared to face it all alone!

 

"..." When he saw that you weren't going to let him go, he said. "don't tell me ya give up already?"

 

You blanked, before shaking your head vigorously.

 

"then whaddya want?"

 

You opened your mouth to explain, but nothing came out.

 

"oh, right." He grinned devilishly, grazing your neck. "can't speak, can ya, love?"

 

You squeezed him tighter in protest and he strained a reply, his face regaining more and more color.

 

"ooooohhhkay," He peeled you off, before setting you down. "don't do that again. i don't wanna make any more mistakes tonight."

 

You latched onto his legs as he turned to the exit.

 

"get off!" Red tried to kick you off, but you wouldn't budge. "go experience life on th'surface er whateva! isn't that what you wanted?"

 

You knew you couldn't speak, so you just squeezed tighter.

 

"... yer not lettin' me go, are ya?"

 

You shook your head.

 

"are ya scared?" Surprisingly, his tone wasn't mocking or even rude. He just asked it as a simple question rather casually.

 

You looked up to him.

 

"s'alright." Red shrugged. "ya should be. alright fine. get up."

 

He helped you onto your feet and you held onto his hands even when you were standing. 

 

"i'll help ya 'get on yer feet' in the surface world." He laughed at his own joke, and snorted when you tried to laugh but nothing came out. "but nothin' more than that, got it?"

 

You nodded, smiling, before mouthing  _thank you_!

 

"yeah yeah, whateva'." Red said, waving you off. "i'm just gonna make it that much harda' fer ya t'find someone tonight, so it works fer me."

 

Of course. You should have guessed. But, never hurts to say thank you anyway. You turned to (albiet awkardly) walk toward the cove's exit, when a boney hand grabbed your arm and pulled you back.

 

"as much as i'd love t'see ya walkin' down town in, well,  _literally nothin'_..."

 

You felt Red drape something warm around your shoulders. You turned toward him. He was letting you wear his long coat... It was so warm... You didn't realize how cold you really were until just then.

 

"i don't wanna get stopped before ya even settle in." He fastened the coat for you, absentmindedly attaching the doohickeys to make it stay. After he was done, he let out another sigh. "stars, woman. if the water wasn't gonna claim ya, the cold sure was. you really should-"

 

You traced your hands along the lapel, before you hugged it closer to your body. Obviously, his frame was much wider than yours, so it hung loose on your shoulders. But, since he was shorter than you and while normally it would fall to the tips of his boots, it only landed to about your knees. It was so comfortable, though, you loved the feeling of it on your shoulders and it made you want to bring it closer. Not so surprisingly, it smelled a little off. 

 

When you glanced up through your lashes, you noticed Red staring at you. Though, this time he didn't have his usual grin in place. You looked up to him and smiled while mouthing another  _thank you_!

 

His eyesockets widened, before he turned you around and pushed you forward. "stop tryin'a say that!" 

 

You stumbled a bit and almost fell on your face! Luckily you didn't... But that didn't stop you from turning around and sticking your tongue out at him! Unfortunately, that only seemed to make him laugh.

 

"keep walkin', doll." Red motioned you forward, "it only gets betta' from here."

 

* * *

 

Red closed the door with a grin. He was simply giddy, but you, on the other hand, were less than happy. "what's wrong, doll? ya seem upset?"

 

Upset was definitely one word for it. The whole walk over, people were staring at you! At first, you were convinced that they could tell you weren't really a land dweller, but one assurance from Red set that aside. Then, you considered they were upset you were with a pirate, but how could they even tell? He looked the same as everyone else! Lastly, you were sure there was some kind of land dweller ritual you were missing, because  _every single_ land dweller looked to you and started whispering! You didn't want to stand out on land, you just wanted to be apart of it! 

 

The land shark, of course, was having the time of his life. He offered to hold your hand part way through, and at first you thought it was sweet, but then you noticed you got even more stares and even some gasps so you took it back. At a certain point, he left you alone while he went to go grab something from his ship, and you thought about if he was just going to leave you to figure it out for yourself. Surprisingly, he didn't. You wondered if it was because he actually had a heart or he just didn't think about it.

 

And now, after talking to the owner of this place called "The Inn", (who, by the way, also wouldn't stop staring) Red managed to get you a place to stay for three nights in exchange for some shiny treasure. When you tried to gesture toward the treasure, he just told you it was an investment.

 

And now there you were. In a cozy room with a seat, a window with some kind of cloth over it, a strange looking bed --at least from what you're used to--, this giant wooden box with doohickeys on it, and lastly? A hole? In the wall? With wood in it? You didn't understand land dwellers. And, of course, Red was still there rubbing it in that you didn't know why you stood out, and you were sure he wouldn't tell you. You crossed your arms in a huff, before turning your head away from Red.

 

"oh, we have attitude now?" He grinned, "and after all i've done fer ya?"

 

You put your hands on your hips and mouthed  _INVESTMENT_!

 

"hah! yer not wrong, love!" He laughed again. "'course, ya might change yer mind when i give ya these."

 

He held up a bundled up piece of cloth. You weren't impressed.

 

"it'll get people t'stop starin' at ya, love."

 

Suddenly, you were impressed!

 

Red tossed them to you, which you managed to catch, while he said, "i want my coat back, put these on instead."

 

You took a closer look at the pieces of cloth. One was a loose off-white, and it looked like what Red was wearing. You wondered briefly if it was his. The other was a dusty blue and you recognized it as something other female land dwellers often times wore. 

 

"well?" He said when you just inspected them. "do ya want me to help you?"

 

You shook your head no. You could do things yourself, you weren't a child. You began slipping off his jacket to put on the articles of cloth. Red was staring at you the entire time, and at a certain point you had to turn around because of how uncomfortable it was making you.

 

But as you finished, you put your hands on your hips. Voila! There you go! You could just tell you looked-!

 

"love," Red pointed to your top. "ya got the shirt on backwards."

 

You fumbled with the 'shirt' a little bit, until you got it right. Voila! There you go! You could just tell you looked like your token land dwelling girl ready to mingle with the people!

 

You were about to turn to Red, when you distinctively heard music downstairs.

 

"atta girl." He said, before slipping on his jacket and clapping his hands together. "welp, you look set and ready. good luck in life, see ya in three-"

 

You hooked an arm around his before he could leave.

 

"what now?" He said, irritated. 

 

You beamed at him and pointed downstairs.

 

"... ya wanna go downstairs?" You nodded at his question. "kay, fine, do whateva ya want, but ya don't need me fer it." 

 

He tried to pull his arm back, but you just tugged his hand with yours downstairs.

 

" _hey!_ "

 

Despite the fact that you were definitely pulling him against his will, you recieved little resistance as you almost skipped down the steps with him right behind. You looked with excitement at the joyous scene in front of you. The front room of 'The Inn' was filled with people all laughing and dancing and almost yelling at eachother. The room was filled with light and warmth, as happy instruments played music for the land dwellers. You had always seen occasions like this from afar, but it was so different up close! You had only dreamed you could be apart of their merry band! 

 

You were almost about to run to join a group of land dwellers who were laughing together, when you felt a hand pull you back.

 

"love, ya don't know them." Red scowled. "ya can't even talk t'introduce yerself."

 

That wasn't fair! You were sure your winning personality would be able to introduce yourself anyway, even if it was just with hand gestures. But you decided to take the pirate's advice anyway... He had been a land dweller longer than you. 

 

As you turned back, you saw a bubbling, golden drink being passed around, and everybody who tasted it became happier. Was it some kind of potion? You didn't know, but you wanted to try it! As you went to go grab a mug, Red snatched it out of your hands.

 

"oh no," He said, handing it to some random fellow. "that's not fer ya."

 

What? Was it going to make you sick? Everybody else was fine! But you once again decided to, begrudgingly, take his advice. 

 

You turned back again, and you saw fire in a pit against the wall! Oh, it was so much more beautiful up close then you had imagined it! It danced just like the people! You wondered briefly if it liked the music? You got closer to it, warming your hands against it's flame. It was so mesmerizing, you almost wanted to touch-

 

Red grabbed your hand and pulled you back, "stars, woman! stop tryina' grab everythin' ya see!"

 

You pulled back from him. By Neptune's beard, maybe it would've been a better idea to let him leave! He wasn't letting you do a thing! You wondered what had him all constricted like an eel tied in a knot! Or maybe... He just needed to enjoy life hisself, without plundering or stealing? 

 

As the music shifted to a new tune, you grabbed Red's hands with a smile as you pulled him toward you. He seemed to catch on fairly quickly what you wanted.

 

"i'm not dancin' with ya, love." He started to pull back, trying to get you off of his hands. "go by yerself."

 

You mouthed _please please please please!_  Over and over again, as you pulled him back toward you and where the others were dancing.

 

He yanked his hands away and stuffed them in his pockets. "i said  _no._ "

 

You wondered what you could do to have him dance with you. Maybe he just needed a little affection? You draped your arms around his shoulders, slyly leaning closer to him, before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

 

He grumbled, looking away irritated, saying, "fer that, i shoulda let ya burn yerself."

 

You mouthed  _please!_  again.

 

"will it get ya off of me?" 

 

You smiled and nodded, getting up and holding onto his hands.

 

He let a long, drawn out sigh, "fine.  _one_ dance. that's it."

 

* * *

 

It definitely wasn't just one dance. You found yourself spending the whole night with Red, dancing, laughing, poking fun at eachother, and experiencing new things. Well, at least new for you, it seemed as if Red had experienced everything. He still wouldn't let you go near the fire or the golden drink, but he did give you new foods to try and laughed as you tried to get up on the table and dance.

 

When the evening grew late, you beckoned him to stay with you. Surprisingly, he did, and without any complaint either and no resistance. You only had one bed, but he didn't seem too upset about having to share. He did seem upset when you fell asleep, though you didn't know why?

 

He swore he would only stay one night with you, though. That didn't happen either.

 

The next three days played along similarly. With each new experience, Red seemed less and less reluctant to stay with you, eventually until he was actually taking you places. 

 

Some of your favorites included him taking you to this strange shop with all sorts of trinkets and items, none of them seemingly correlating. He called it a "Pawn Shop", and you were fascinated by everything! You couldn't help but be, land dwellers were amazing inventionists! Everything was so intriguing and different, you could've spent hours in the place! Unfortunately, Red got bored really fast, and the two of you left. 

 

Another one you enjoyed was when he took you on a smaller boat on the ocean. You were a little hesitant after your original experience with water, but after an assurance from Red, you had no worries. You loved the way the boat rocked back and forth, and the cool serenity of the sea. Of course, all of that changed when Red admitted to stealing the boat, and you demanded (to the best of your ability) that he return it.

 

One you knew Red liked was when he took you to this place called a "Resteraunt". It was a place where you people just  _bring_  you food! You didn't understand the menu, so Red offered to order for you. You thought the gesture was sweet at first, but then almost threw up when they brought out a platter of  _dead fish!_  He laughed before he ordered you some plain seaweed instead. You weren't amused.

 

Finally, it was the last day, and you collapsed on your bed, worn out from the day of adventure. Red followed, hands in pockets.

 

"tired, love?"

 

You rolled over and nodded.

 

"how have ya liked yer 'land dwellin'' experience?"

 

You sat up, a bright smile on your face. And he thought you were going to hate it up here! Though, you hated to admit it, you wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if it weren't for him.

 

"heh." He scratched the back of his head. "liked it that much, huh? ..."

 

Red walked over to the hole in the wall, you heard him call it a "Place for Fire" or something like that, and began to make a fire. You loved it's warmth, and joined Red's side, squating next to him, before you warmed your hands next to the fire. You made sure not to touch it, Red would probably get annoyed. 

 

"hmm."

 

You turned your head toward him. He was close to you. You could probably feel his breath, but for whatever reason it was like he wasn't breathing. You tilted your head in question over his hum.

 

"ya seem awfully complacent fer someone who's about to lose their freedom."

 

What? What does that...

 

...

 

_THE DEAL!_

 

You fell backward in a flurry, running your hands through your hair. How could you be so stupid to forget so easily!? You hadn't spent any time with anybody but Red! How were you supposed to get anybody to kiss you now?!

 

"oh my stars, did ya seriously ferget?" 

 

Is that why he was spending so much time with you?! Of all the offhanded things! You should have guessed! He was a land shark afterall! You frustratedly pointed to him and then tried to motion your anger. Of course, none of it made any sense, but you hoped that the point would get acro-

 

He leaned toward you and pressed his cool teeth against your lips, grabbing your chin and tilting it upward.

 

...

 

Oh...

 

He let you go, but lingered, his hand still cupping your chin and sharpened teeth so close to your lips. But eventually, he pulled back.

 

"there." He went back to stoking the fire, "ya got your kiss. happy?"

 

You could feel your were as red as the fire, but you didn't miss the dusty red across his cheekbones as well. You toyed with your fingers. Even if it was just to show you kindness, it  _was_  still a kiss and it  _still_  made your heart skip a beat. "...Thank you..."

 

You blinked.

 

"My voice is back?"

 

"i told ya it was only gonna last three days, ya idiot." He poked at your forehead. Despite this, you could still see his face warm, and not from the fire.

 

You grabbed his hand, and it startled him. "Hey, Red?"

 

He gulped.

 

"What are we going to do tomorrow?"

 

Red let out a breath, before he grinned devilishly. "my crew's not gonna be happy when they find out i've been stolen by a mermaid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pirate Red be like:  
> "I wish that was the last time,  
> I said that last time,  
> It became a past time..."


	3. Sleeping Beauty (Underfell Papyrus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's my favorite :>

Fire trailed Black's small steps as he walked closer to the throne. "BY HER EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY... THE PRINCESS WILL PRICK HER FINGER ON A SPINNING WHEEL... AND WILL DIE."

 

" _No_!" The queen cried, and it was like music to Black's ears.

 

It was a special day for someone as maleficent as Black. It was his six and half birthday, afterall. Yes, he celebrated his half birthdays, all of the cool, evil, awesome warlocks did. Well, Black hadn't met any other cool, evil, awesome warlocks, but he's sure if he did they'd probably celebrate their half birthdays too. He celebrated it mostly because of the achievements he's managed to secure under his belt, even at the young age of six and a half, and also because of how much he loved to celebrate himself.

 

But this year, despite the fact that it was going to be the grandest party this side of the forest,  _not a singe soul showed up!_ Not a single one! Black was furious, livid, absolutely DISGUSTED by this treachery! Who could've executed such a scheme? Imagine Black's surprise as he had come to find a princess was being born the same day as his half birthday...

 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR PRECIOUS PRINCESS!" Black was grinning from ear to ear. "AND... MY CONDOLENCES. NYAHAHAHAHA!" And with that, Black disappeared in a puff of smoke, seemingly gone.

 

Of course, this wasn't truly the case. As much as he loved a dramatic exit, he wasn't  _also_  going to pass up watching people suffer and weep! That would be crazy! Black had just shifted into a raven, and perched himself on the windowsill to let the entertainment begin.

 

And, stars, was it entertaining! As the queen turned to her husband in anguish, she wept and said, "What are we going to do! We have to do something?"

 

"I don't know what to do!" The king frantically said, "I don't even know if there's anyone that can... Wait..."

 

Wait? Wait what? Black didn't like the glimmer of hope in that wait.

 

"What is it?" The queen asked.

 

"This might be a bad idea... but he's the only person I can think of..." The king turned to one of his guards and whispered something to him. 

 

The wait made Black antsy as he side stepped from side to side as the guard left the empty throne room, leaving the queen and king alone with worried glances. But it wasn't long before the guard came back with a small, skeleton monster who looked not to far from the age of Black himself.

 

"LOVELY PARTY, YOUR MAJESTIES!" The bombastically dressed, yet short monster grinned. "AND BY LOVELY, I MEANT NOT AS GOOD AS WHAT I COULD'VE THROWN, BUT YOU HUMANS DO WHAT YOU CAN! SORRY MY DUMP-TRUCK OF A BROTHER COULDN'T MAKE IT, HE GOT CAUGHT UP WITH SOME GUY STEALING HIS LETTUCE."

 

"Indigo, we need-!" But this 'Indigo' cut the king off.

 

"INDIGO THE SORCERER, PLEASE." The young monster rolled his eyelights. "I DIDN'T STUDY DARK ARTS MY WHOLE SIX AND A HALF YEARS FOR NOTHING."

 

"Er..." The king cleared his throat. "Indigo the sorcerer, we need your help." Indigo cocked his head at this. "An evil warlock has cursed our little princess, by her eighteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and she will die!"

 

"BUMMER." He put his hands on his hips. "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?"

 

"Can you undo-?"

 

But the queen was cut off by the small sorcerer. "WRONG! I CAN'T UNDO HIS CURSE, THAT'S JUST CRAZY TALK... BUT I CAN CHANGE IT?" What?! This was an outrage! How dare-?

 

"Then, please!" The king said, "And if you do, whatever you want is yours!"

 

"THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!" Indigo the sorcerer smiled. "I CAN CHANGE THE CURSE A LITTLE BIT, SO HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF HER DYING... SHE'LL JUST BE IN A DEEP SLEEP?"

 

"Well, how will she wake up?" Asked the queen.

 

"HMMM, SOMETHING DRAMATIC PROBABLY... HOW ABOUT..." The sorcerer wondered aloud. "SHE CAN AWAKEN WITH A KISS!"

 

Ha! Jokes on them, Black will just bury her then. See, there are solutions to everything.

 

"Alright." The king said. "We're okay with that, but what do you want in return? Anything in the treasury is yours-"

 

"I WANT THE PRINCESS!"

 

Ew, what? Black heard chokes from the two monarchs, before the queen said, "You want to literally rob the cradle?"

 

"SILENCE!" Indigo the sorcerer put his hands on his hips. "I WANT TO RAISE A MAID FOR MY CASTLE! I HATE DOING CHORES!"

 

"But you have magic?" The king questioned. "Also, you're six? How are you going to take care of a baby?"

 

"I'M SIX AND A HALF, YOU IMBECILE!" He yelled. "AND I'M ALREADY LIVING ON MY OWN! I KICKED MY BROTHER OUT YEARS AGO!"

 

"So he's lonely." The queen commented.

 

"DO YOU WANT ME TO SAVE THE PRINCESS OR NOT?!" Indigo the sorcerer demanded.

 

The king and the queen looked to eachother, "Would we be able to visit her?"

 

Indigo laughed, "NO. I DON'T WANT YOU DIRTYING UP MY CASTLE."

 

"What?" The queen pleaded, "What about when the curse has been lifted? Or what if we could see her at least once a year?"

 

"HMMMMM," He thought carefully. "FINE. ONCE THE CURSE IS LIFTED, I'LL PROBABLY BE TIRED OF HER. AND ONCE A YEAR IS FINE, I GUESS. BUT YOU STAY OUTSIDE!"

 

The two sighed with relief, "Then please..."

 

With a snap of his fingers, Indigo the sorcerer created a puff of magenta smoke over the cradle. 

 

"THANK YOU FOR THE PRINCESS, YOUR MAJESTIES!" Indigo the sorcerer grinned. "I PROMISE TO TAKE GREAT CARE OF HER!"

 

Black almost laughed if it wouldn't have given away his hiding spot, before he flew away. Their own child being taken from them? He couldn't have considered a better punishment! This Indigo was a better ally to him than he realized! Though, how much greater would it be to have them give up this sacrifice, only to lose the princess in the end! Black better keep an eye on the baby, to really make sure she falls under the curse...

 

* * *

7 and 1/2

* * *

 

Over the past few months, Black had kept close watch on Indigo and his castle. Indigo had used his magic to make regular household items function as caretakers for the little princess, so he wouldn't have to do it himself. Black had to admit, it was rather genius, but he also noticed how weirdly attached this baby was getting to brooms and chairs because of it. Other than that, the princess seemed to be growing fine. Indigo had tried to get the princess to say a few words, namely his own name. It didn't work.

 

All the time Black had been spying on them was spent as a raven, as to not raise suspicion. It actually worked rather well, since Indigo hadn't seemed to notice yet. 

 

One night, Black flew into the princess's room after the princess had been put to sleep by a make-shift coat rack. Just to get a closer look at the enemy. 

 

To Black's surprise, this was actually the first time he got a good look at you.

 

Ugh, you were sleeping.  _Soundly_. How annoying was that? You were just lying there, in your little pink crib. Black didn't know why everyone thought babies were cute, you were useless! What's cute about that?! Black was casting his first spells at that age...

 

And with slow blinks, your eyes were open. They were a shining, vibrant color, and it startled Black. He hadn't really seen your eyes before, but they were surprisingly vivid. It was creeping him out. But what was even more creepy? You weren't even crying even though a big scary raven was above you.

 

He kawed at you.

 

You smiled and held your hand up to hold him. "Kaw?"

 

This was weird, Black needed to leave this weirdo.

 

And so he did, deciding it was best to keep his distance at this point from the enemy.

 

* * *

9 1/2 and 3

* * *

 

You were walking now, and were more attentive and active, but definitely not cuter that's for certain. Nope! Not even a little! Anyway, Consequently, Indigo wanted to give you chores because of it. Pretty much all you could do was put toys away where they didn't belong, and Black thought you were so dumb for that. Or at least, he  _did_ think it was dumb, until he realized you might've doing it on purpose, hiding them so you wouldn't have to put them away where they belong.

 

And Black's suspicions were confirmed the more he watched you.

 

"YOU SEE, IT'S EASY! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MOVE IT ON THE FLOOR UNTIL THE FLOOR IS CLEAN!"

 

Indigo handed you a mop, and you looked at it with distaste.

 

"IT'S, UHM," Indigo thought really hard. "IT'S A GAME! WHO CAN CLEAN THE FLOOR THE FASTEST!"

 

You smiled up at him, "Okay!"

 

"THERE'S MY SWEET PRINCESS!" Indigo pat you on the head, before he walked past you. "CALL ME IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, I'M GOING TO BE READING SOME TOMES IN HERE!"

 

You watched to make sure Indigo was out of sight, before you caught sight of Black. Black almost jumped at your attention, before you smiled and put a tiny finger to your lips. What were you-?

 

All at once, you kicked over the bucket, smeared soap on your head, and cried, "IIINDDIIEEE!!"

 

You sneaky little brat! You sneaky little manipulative spoiled brat! Black flew back to avoid being seen by Indigo, but as he looked back he couldn't believe how conniving you were! He would've been impressed, if he didn't hate you so much. Black watched as Indigo rushed in, said something out of Black's hearing range, before picking you and taking you away from the mopping.

 

That was it, Black couldn't keep his eyes off of you for a second! WHO knows what evil little things your adorable head would come up with! Black would have to make sure to keep a closer eye on you...

 

* * *

12 1/2 and 6

* * *

 

As you got older, you just became more wittier and clever. Well, Black liked to think of it as more manipulative and snarky, since you used your 'gifts' to get out of doing chores and to get what you wanted. It also helped you solve problems quicker and to figure things out, but it's not like Black specifically noticed that kind of thing or even cared. All he cared about was that you were 90% evil and 10% cute -er actually- gross.

 

But you didn't just grow in  _witt_. If there was one thing Black noticed that Indigo loved about his princess, it was your long hair. Black, begrudgingly, could see why. It was so soft and long and perfectly framed your face, even at such a young age. Still didn't change the fact that Black hated you, though.

 

Another thing Black noticed was that Indigo was beyond demanding and annoying. It would've grated Black's ears everytime he spoke, if he had ears. Black was surprised you just didn't go off and find a spinning wheel to put yourself out of your misery from having to listen to him all day long.

 

Of course, as you got older, you became less and less compliant to his demands. In fact, once you even talked back. That wasn't a good idea. Indigo may had been only twelve, but he was a powerful sorcerer, and he wasn't afraid to show you how powerful he was. Even if it meant conjuring up a little piggy tail on you and mercilessly making fun of you for it. 

 

Needless to say, you were upset. So you stormed off to the bathroom, to what Black presumed was to cry. Though, when he flew to the window of the bathroom, he found he was wrong.

 

You grabbed the closest pair of scissors and held it to your hair!

 

Black began furiously tapping on the window with his beak, startling you out of your actions. You looked up with curiosity, your anger seeping out of your features, looking at him with those vibrant eyes of yours. Though Black could see why Indigo liked your hair so much, he knew Indigo must've been crazy if he thought that was your best feature as opposed to your vibrant eyes...

 

Black stopped himself and almost vomited. Forget any of that happened, this kid was annoying and gross.

 

You climbed up over the toilet to unlatch the window. Black almost knocked you over in an attempt to get the scissors out of your hands, but you managed to catch yourself as you slowly descended to the floor.

 

"Pretty birdie!" You said, reaching to grab him.

 

He avoided you and started kawing at you ferociously. Surprisingly, it only made you laugh. Irritated, Black tried to get the pair of scissors out of your hand again, but you moved your hand away.

 

"No, birdie." You said, "These are for me. Birdies can't use scissors!"

 

Black started to peck at your head.

 

"Ow! Owie!" You tried to shield your head with your hand. Ha! Your efforts were futile! That was, until you tried to grab Black again, causing him to swoop back. You tilted your head in thought, staring at him once more. "Why do you want my scissors, birdie?"

 

Black kawed at you. 

 

"Do you like my hair?" You grinned, and it physically revolted Black. You ran your fingers through your hair, while saying, "It's pretty, isn't it?"

 

And that was the moment Black decided he was never _ever EVER_  going to do something kind for you  _EVER_. He leaned down, took a snippet of your hair, and snapped it off with his beak.

 

"Yeah?" You smiled, before taking the scissors. "I want it gone too."

 

Snip snip snip! And it was cut! Just like that, beautiful locks littered the floor. Black flew out of the bathroom as you took handfuls of it and let them go out the window, to blow away in the wind.

 

As you left the bathroom to show off your new haircut, Black had to admit if anything came out from that day, it was that he was entertained by the screams of Indigo the sorcerer.

 

* * *

18 and 11 1/2

* * *

 

You were breaching adolescence, and Black hated how he was unbearable away for that. Good thing it didn't matter to him or anything.

 

Indigo never ceased his antics, but you had learned to move around them. You were a master at extinguishing his tantrums, but even then sometimes you decided to ask forgiveness rather than permission. One mistake Black saw you'd never make again was mentioning how you were taller than him, even while he being 'an adult' (if you could call the spoiled sorcerer that) and you barely reaching adolescence. 

 

Black found himself coming by everyday. He didn't know whether it was because he was bored or... no, it definitely had to be because he was bored, there was no other alternative! That and also unbridled hatred! He just liked seeing you suffer from day to day, that had to be it...

 

"How does my curse get broken?" Black leaned in to get a better listen at the question you gave. He was on the windowsill of the library, where Indigo sat reading a book and you were on the floor, leaning against the arm of his chair. 

 

"WHAT?" Indigo closed the book he was reading to give you an annoyed look.

 

"Well, you said I'm going to fall into a deep sleep when I'm eighteen when I touch a spinning wheel, right?" You looked up to him, "Then how does my curse get broken?"

 

"JUST DON'T TOUCH A SPINNING WHEEL, AND YOU'LL BE FINE." Indigo said.

 

You furrowed your brow, "You know that's not how curses work."

 

Indigo sighed exasperatedly, "YOU'LL WAKE UP IF SOMEONE AS COOL AND IMPRESSIVE AS MYSELF GIVES YOU A KISS."

 

You crinkled your nose, obviously not a fan of the alternative. "Who would want to kiss a basically dead person?"

 

"IF YOU'RE GOOD AND SWEET TO ME," Indigo leaned toward her, grinning. "I'LL WAKE YOU UP WITH A MAGICAL KISS." Not if Black gets to her first. He's got the burial sight picked out and everything.

 

"Yuck." You stuck your tongue out, and Black almost bursted out in laughter. "Just let me sleep."

 

"YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT!" He stomped. "I SHOULD HAVE YOU DROPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD OF SPINNING WHEELS FOR THAT!"

 

You stood up and kissed him on the cheekbone, something that made Black want to gag. "Just kidding. You know anybody would be lucky to get a kiss from you."

 

"HA!" Indigo went back to his book, "THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT YOU MEANT!"

 

But you didn't stop questioning him. "Why was the warlock so mad? What was he like?"

 

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW, I WAS SIX!" Indigo waved her off. "FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, HE'S DEVILISH, CRUDE, AND FIRE TRAILS WHEREVER HE STEPS."

 

Your eyes widened, and it made Black awkwardly step back and forth along the windowsill. He really liked the way your attention and curiosity was centered around him. "Fire trails his steps? What else?"

 

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER! HE'S EVIL AND HE CURSED YOU!" Indigo huffed, "ANYTHING ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO BEG TO HAVE ANSWERED?"

 

"Why are there so many ravens around here?" Hrk! She noticed...

 

"GET BACK TO YOUR CHORES!"

 

"Yes, Indie." You sighed, waving him off as you left the room, not before stealing a glance from Black at the windowsill. The action startled Black, but you just turned around and went back to your chores as Indigo commanded.

 

* * *

22 1/2 and 16

* * *

 

This was weird, this had to be super weird! As much as Black was a master at holding grudges and seeing out curses, you were... Black didn't... 

 

ARGH! Black wouldn't say it! He would never ever EVER admit to anything! Not that he had anything! To admit to! 

 

After all, he was twenty-two, and you were  _sixteen_! That had to be beyond weird. He saw you as a  _baby_! But Black knew some people that were ten years apart and they were happy? You were only six and a half years apart, when you'd be forty, he'd be forty-six and that wasn't weird?

 

...

 

It's still weird...

 

It's a good thing Black doesn't have any feelings for you, then! Haha! Feelings? What feelings, Black didn't know what those were! Black only knew two things, and that was that causing pain and misery was what he was made out of! No matter how much your clever attitude or shining eyes or melodic laugh try to get to him, he will never  _ever EVER_ -!

 

"Hello, pretty birdie."

 

AH! Your sing-songy voice startled him out of his train of thought. Black jumped back and turned around to see you there.

 

You pushed your hair behind your ear, smiling. "I've seen you around here before."

 

Black gulped. All he had to do was fly away. That's all he had to do to get out of this mess. Just. Fly. Away. Right. NOW.

 

You took a piece of bread and set it on the windowsill for him, but Black was frozen. "Not hungry?"

 

Black found the strength to kaw at you, but all you did was lean on your hand and sigh. "...Such a handsome raven."

 

Oh stars, don't call him handsome and definitely don't look at him like that.

 

"I bet you're soft, too..." You lifted up a hand toward him, and he finally managed to gather the strength to get up and fly away from your window. 

 

That was close!  _Too close_! Black would have to remind himself of every single bit of pain that he has ever gone through to keep his self control. He just had to get through two more years, and that was it! And then you would be dead and he wouldn't have to think of you ever EVER again! 

 

* * *

Almost 24 1/2 and Almost 18

* * *

 

Yep, that was it. Black couldn't stop thinking of you. It was weird, being someone as evil and terrifying as him, while also melting at the sound of his own enemy's voice. He wanted to simultaneously strike himself with lightning and also cast himself in a pot of boiling potions. And also hold your hand but he would rather die than ever have that known.

 

How could he be so dumb?! So idiotic?! If he had just let the curse do it's thing and then just cursed Indigo too, Black would've never watched you everyday and had fallen for you! Curse your parents for making someone so attractive! This was all their fault! They should've been the ones he cursed!

 

But it was finally that day. 18 years to the day of when he cursed you, saying you would prick your finger on a spinning wheel and would die. Except you weren't going to die, you were just going to fall asleep. Until someone kissed you to wake you up.

 

What if he kissed you?

 

...

 

Black hated that he thought of that.

 

. . .

 

What if Indigo kissed you?

 

...

 

Black hated that even more.

 

Well, whatever the case, Black had a spinning wheel in his arms and was setting it up in the forest right outside of Indigo's castle. Just to help the curse along a little bit. He could decide whether he should bury you or wake you up a little later. It was funny, Black had never been this close to Indigo's castle without being in the form of a raven before-

 

"I'll be back before you know it, Indie!" THAT WAS YOUR VOICE! In the blink of an eyesocket, Black shifted into a raven and soared to a tree, leaving the half-set up spinning wheel to fall on the ground.

 

Black peeked over from behind a branch. There you were, basket aesthetically in hand. Probably off to pick berries or flowers or something sickeningly sweet to contrast with your spicy personality. It was awful, he hated it, yet he wouldn't look away if the whole forest was on fire behind him. You sifted through wild flowers, before finding a soft pink one you liked and setting it gently in your hair. You began to hum to yourself, and the action almost made Black go into cardiac arrest. 

 

Something about the softness, the loveliness of the gesture... Black couldn't help his imagination going wild at the thought of the wicked and suave warlock capturing the heart of the innocent but clever princess with just a soft touch and sweet words...

 

Your vividly vibrant eyes met his, and at first Black thought he was dreaming still, but your knowing grin told him otherwise. "Pretty birdie, don't you want to come down?"

 

Oh, you caught him in a moment of weakness, he couldn't refuse you even if he tried. And he tried. He awkwardly shifted from side to side before landing on your basket of flowers.

 

You laughed at the gesture,  _laughed!_  Before you handed him deep, red wild flower. "Would you like something pretty for your nest?"

 

... He could almost touch you. He wondered if you were as soft as he thought you were. As he leaned a little closer though, he was caught surprised when you dropped the flower and grabbed his wings!

 

"Gotchya!" You said, pulling him closer. "Only took 18 years..."

 

If there was one thing you should know about warlocks, it's that they don't do well being caught in surprise. Without any warning and in a puff of ruby smoke, you were no longer holding onto his long black wings, but instead his long black cape.

 

...

 

Black gulped, feeling himself grow redder and redder, as he stared for the first time into vibrant eyes that seemed a little surprised and solely enraptured by his existence with his own eyelights.

 

....

 

.....

 

"WELL, ARE YOU GOING TO SAY SOMETHING?!" He demanded, swiping his cape back. "I-IT'S RUDE TO STARE!"

 

You looked at the cape. You had two black feathers in your hands despite the transformation. You put them in your hair and grinned. "Do they look good?"

 

Yes. " _IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME?_!"

 

"... Sorry for taking your feathers, Mr. Raven?"

 

"MY NAME IS NOT-!" But Black stopped himself. What should he say? Would you hate him if he told you he cursed you? Surprisingly, that didn't sound like a bad alternative, it may make things alot easier...

 

"Would you rather me mention you've been watching me a long time, Mr. Raven?" You held your hands behind your back, and leaned toward him.  _That_  was making things alot harder. Black gulped, taking a step back. "I wonder why?"

 

"NOTHING-!" Black waved his hands around, before turning around. This was a bad idea, he couldn't be here anymore! "NEVER MIND EVERYTHING!"

 

You quickly rushed in front of him, "Don't leave, talk with me!"

 

Black easily pushed passed you, "YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT."

 

But you easily kept his quick pace, and even grabbed onto the edge of his cape. "But you didn't say  _you_ didn't want to do that?"

 

Black burned a bright ruby color. He should've guessed you would say something like that. He turned to you in one swift motion. "KEEP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT AND IT'LL GET YOU KILLED."

 

"You sound like someone I know." You laughed, before something in the corner of your eye caught your attention. Black turned, to follow your gaze, before he gulped.

 

There was the spinning wheel, which he conveniently left laying around. And by conveniently, he meant he was the BIGGEST IDIOT IN THE WORLD FOR WALKING  _STRAIGHT OVER THERE!_  Or maybe it was better this way, maybe you would hate him and it would make things easier.

 

But Black waited with baited breath as you looked to him with those spine-chilling eyes, the gears moving in your head. Finally, after too long of a moment, you said, "The warlock who fire trails his step-?"

 

Black tore his cape out of your hand before you could say another word. He harshly grabbed your wrist and hissed, "YOU'RE TOO CURIOUS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD,  _PRINCESS_!"

 

"Wait," Despite his harsh words and actions, it didn't phase you. "Why did you curse me?"

 

"W-WHAT?"

 

"Why did you curse me?" You asked again, looking up to him.

 

"I..." Stars, why wouldn't you just act scared or angry or SOMETHING like a normal person would? "I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU!" 

 

"Why?"

 

Because he was embarrassed that he cursed you TO DEATH because everyone went to your birth instead of his six and a half birthday party.

 

"You don't look much older than me, how old were you when you cursed me?"

 

"SILENCE!" Black roared, throwing your hand back to you. "PRINCESS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?"

 

"It's my eighteenth birthday."

 

"CORRECT." Black replied. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?"

 

"...I'm going to die today." You lied.

 

"YES, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF THE CURSE." These words peaked your interested, and Black had you enraptured. He'd be lying if he said he didn't revel in it. "I'M NOT IGNORANT TO INDIGO'S ATTEMPTS TO SWAY THE CURSE, AND I'M NOT WITHOUT A BACK UP PLAN."

 

"Mr. Raven, I don't believe you." You plainly said, and it drove Black wild. "But I'm excited to see what you have in mind."

 

Black was just about to hiss a retort when you walked over to the spinning wheel. Black had expected you to attempt to destroy it, but almost lunged for you when you just gently hovered your finger over the needle. " _STOP-!_ "

 

The outburst made you smile and Black pale, but you pricked your finger anyway. In a puff of ruby smoke mingled with magenta, you fell to the grass as if you were dead, but truly in a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

Well, there you were. In the ornately decorated coffin. Black was pretty impressed with his work. You were laying on a bed of red rose petals, you were holding a rose in your hand, honestly Black was a genius when it came to picturesque imagery. Now all he had to do was close the lid, push you in the ditch, and get digging.

 

Aaaannnyy second now.

 

Just cloooose the liiddd.

 

Drat, Black was too good at his job, you looked  _too_ good. He should've just shoved you face first into the dirt and then crushed you with a rock. 

 

Images of your curious gaze flashed through his mind before the words  _I don't believe you_  ran through his head over and over and over again. His first thought was that she didn't believe he had a back up plan, but you were too smart for that... 

 

Maybe you didn't believe he'd follow through? Maybe you believed he would kiss you to wake you up? Maybe you  _wanted_ him to?

 

Or maybe you were just sneaky and knew  _exactly_ what to say to make him question his motives. That seemed more likely.

 

...He could kiss you though? He'd bet you'd be grateful, even if it was your conniving plan all along?

 

He looked to your light features, your sleeping so soundly, your  _soft lips_...

 

AH! He couldn't do it! It took him over eighteen years just to admit the sight of you didn't want to make him vomit, how was he supposed to  _kiss_ you! Well, he guessed the joke was on you, because one thing you didn't take into account was that he'd be too embarrassed to actually kiss you! Look who wins, afterall!

 

... Black looked back at you one more time. What if... You didn't wake up? Could he imagine for a second that you wouldn't wake up? That would make things easier...

 

In a slow, gentle gesture, Black leaned down and pressed his cool teeth against your warm lips. He felt his skull getting warmer by the second, but it was something so soft that he didn't want to leave. But when he pulled up, your electric eyes were open and staring straight at him.

 

He nervously swallowed, but stayed frozen right above you.

 

"I told you." You smiled. "Though, I have to admit, I thought you were going to be someone else." 

 

Black blinked, "SO YOU  _DIDN'T_ PLAN THAT?!"


	4. Beauty and the Beast (Sans)

You really messed up this time. No, you  _really_  messed up this time.

 

"watchya got in your hand there, kid?"

 

You slid the flower's stem down the hem of your skirt and smiled hopefully, lifting your hands to show off your faux innocence. But when you blinked, he was gone. Where-?

 

All of the sudden you felt something pluck from your skirt behind you, before you turned around to see the beast holding the rose. 

 

"and a liar, too?" He began toying with the petals, nonchalantly. "wow. i have to admit, things could look better for you."

 

So, you made a couple poor decisions. Going to the market even when the clouds suggested there would be a winter storm? Bad idea. Taking the road that looked the spookiest because you thought it'd be shorter? Bad idea. Stopping at a big scary castle with a gated fence and, heck, gargoyles to escape from the weather? Bad idea. Deciding to pick a rose because they just looked so  _beautiful_? Bad idea after bad idea would get anyone a little pessimistic. 

 

"I didn't  _lie..._ " You dared to reply. 

 

"no?" The beast questioned. "you tried to fool me, that counts."

 

Who was the one that decided that? But you held your tongue. You weren't dumb, your heard the legends.

 

Legends of a monster, an alchemist, a  _beast,_  with long, dark horns. A horrid villain who's heart was pure cold stone, and everyone who steps onto his grounds disappears. Some say it's because he uses them for magical and scientific experiments. Others say he just eats them. You say...

 

He's alot shorter than you'd expect. And alot less villainy.

 

"I didn't think anyone lived here." You shuffled your feet back and forth. You felt more like a student having been caught breaking rules than a victim ready to suffer a horrible punishment.

 

"you just thought..." Throughout all of this, the monster's grin never faltered. "'oh, these roses look perfectly trimmed and pruned. probably nobody did that on purpose, i guess i better take one.'"

 

Sounds about right. 

 

"nothing to say?" The beast questioned.

 

You furrowed your brow, "What do you want me to say?"

 

"well, an apology would be nice." He simply said.

 

You didn't really see what was so wrong, it was just a flower. But you decided to comply to his wishes anyway. "I'm sorry, then." You said. "For taking your rose." 

 

"sounds fake." He would be right. "but that's alright. one more thing, though..."

 

You tilted your head.

 

"this is a magic flower that you just picked. and, by picking it, it lost it's magic." He closed his eyesockets.

 

"Magic?" You questioned. "What does it do?"

 

"it magically..." You waited. "...grows on it's own."

 

You blinked. "...Sounds fake." You mimicked.

 

His grin widened at his joke, but he kept on going. "anyway, so your gonna need to pay me back for that."

 

"Oh..." You pulled out your wallet and looked through it. You had a sufficient amount. "How much?"

 

"a bazillion gold coins."

 

You stared daggers at him. "That's not a number."

 

"really? i thought everyone was a bazillionaire." His grin widened again. "okay, i guess i'd be fine with you paying it off with your labor."

 

With your labor? You didn't like the direction this was going. "...What would you like me to do?"

 

"i'm thinking, for the magic flower..." The beast hummed. "forty years of service."

 

You jaw dropped. "F-forty years? You're joking!"

 

"you're right. i was kidding." He grinned wider, and you sighed with relief. "actually only thirty years."

 

You blanked. He had to be joking, there was no way he'd demand thirty years for just a flower. "Thirty years?"

 

"thirty years." He repeated.

 

"For a  _flower_?"

 

"for a  _magical_  flower." He corrected.

 

"You're not kidding?"

 

"not even a little."

 

"..." You blinked, "You're insane."

 

He blinked in turn. "well, that was rude."

 

"At least, you're insane if you think I'm going to work for you for  _thirty years_ for a  _flower._ " You turned to leave but, when you did, a wall of bones shot out from the earth, causing you to fall back behind you. You turned around, looking up to the monster behind you with confusion.

 

"of course, you could just do some time for your crime." He shrugged. You couldn't help noticing how casual he was, even when threatening your life.

 

"Time?" You swallowed. "How long."

 

"does a hundred years sound fair?"

 

"Not even a little."

 

"you're right." He said. "let's make it two hundred. just in case you're one of those people that lives for an unusual long amount of time, like a hundred a twenty years or something."

 

You were starting to see why he was so infamous for his villainy.

 

"it's your choice." 

 

"What..." You swallowed. "What do you want me to do?"

 

His smile widened at your cooperation. "clean my castle. everyday. my bro gets upset when he comes by and it's messy. and, even though i have magic, it's still a pain to clean. also, making my meals would be nice."

 

"You want me to be your maid for thirty years?" 

 

He nodded.

 

"Would I just have to come here everyday then?"

 

"oh, no." The monster replied. "you can't leave."

 

" _What_?" You shook your head in disbelief. He was holding you  _hostage?_ Over a  _flower?!_ You just couldn't understand.

 

"nah, this place was kind of a secret." He shrugged. "you definitely blew my cover by showing up. i guess it works out great then that you showed up and tried to take that flower. now i don't have to worry about you going around and telling everyone where this is."

 

Oh. You understood now. He didn't care about the  _flower_ , he cared about your  _loose tongue._

 

"...Is this how you keep everyone who steps on your grounds silent?" You questioned. "Threatening people and forcing them to work for you?"

 

"sometimes. other times..." Whether the monster was phased by your venomous words, he didn't show it, but his next words and tone sent chills down to your very core "they don't leave  **alive.** "

 

You pushed yourself back subconsciously, " _You're a beast._ " 

 

With those words, you actually saw him falter for a second, his smile barely slipping as you caught him surprised. But in less than a second, it was gone and it was back to his casual grin. "the name's sans. i'd prefer that over 'beast'."

 

You didn't know what to say so you didn't say anything.

 

"well?" He shuffled his feet. "what's the plan, kid?"

 

You gulped.  "...What exactly would you want me to do?"

 

The beasts grin widened as he extended his hand to help you up. You didn't take it, getting up on your own. "i'll give ya the grand tour."

 

* * *

 

"and so that's the kitchen." He lazily pointed to the side, and your eyes trailed to it. You wanted to go see inside, but he was already moving on.

 

This "Grand Tour" had been less "Grand" and more "Sans would half-heartedly point to some room, tell you what it is, expect you to remember it without actually going in, and then move on." You were less than impressed, but you were more than impressed with how extravagant the castle was. Yes, it was a little messy and quite a bit dusty, but it was  _gorgeous._ And huge! It was hard for you to believe that he lived in this place all by himself! You would get lonely... The decorations were ornately extravagant; chandeliers tingling, drapes vibrant and large, even a couple busts were placed of elegantly dressed goat-monsters. YOU wished you owned the castle yourself, instead of having to be a maid for the beast that claimed it and you.

 

"This grand tour sucks." You commented.

 

"sarcasm isn't funny, kid." Sans replied without missing a beat. "besides, it won't take long for you to figure it out."

 

You didn't respond, just following him in step as he vaguely pointed to other things.

 

"and that's a closet." He pointed, as he passed by a large staircase. Despite this, he didn't mention the obviously large spiral, just pointing to another door. "and that's another closet."

 

You stopped in front of the staircase. But he kept on moving. "Are we not going to go up?"

 

"nope." Was all he said, continuing to walk.

 

"Are we going to come back to it?"

 

This time he stopped, turning around. His expression showed he was a little annoyed you weren't following him. "nope."

 

You looked up the staircase. "Why? What's up there?" 

 

"up there?" He walked back toward you, looking up the staircase too. "a bunch of stairs."

 

You gave him an irritated look. He thought that was funny.

 

"yeah, don't go up there." He shrugged. "it's off limits."

 

"Why?"

 

"because if you  _value your life_ , you won't go up there."

 

That sent shivers down your spine, but you nodded.

 

"hey, it's one less thing to clean, right?" He turned around, and kept walking. "so this is a spare room..."

 

Off limits? Maybe your hearing was off, when he said off limits all you heard was, "definitely go up there the next chance that you get." Of course, you'd have to be sneaky about it, but if you knew one thing for sure that was that you were  _not_  going to be his maid for thirty years. You just had to plan a stealthy escape, and something told you this staircase might be the answer you'd need...

 

* * *

 

The days were surprisingly very casual and relaxed. Sans didn't even wake up until way later than when you slept in, so you didn't even have to get up early to make him breakfast. Your schedule went along the lines of waking up, making your captor breakfast, wandering the castle looking for things to clean until lunch, making your captor lunch, finish looking for things to clean, making your captor dinner, and then retiring for the night. It really wasn't all that hard, and you usually stopped finding things to clean in the late afternoon. Sometimes, you could hurry and finish in the mid afternoon so you can take some time to do things you'd prefer.

 

And what did you like to do in your spare time? Other than look for ways to escape? (There was a barrier outside, it would be a little harder than that.) You'd just read. You'd read and read and read. Your captor had a very  _very_  large library, and what else was there to do? Sometimes you would paint, but one time Sans came and commented on how nice it looked. You never picked up another paintbrush after that.

 

You avoided Sans like he was disease ridden, but luckily he didn't really show up all too often. You actually had to search for him the first couple days you started work when you made his meals, but you found his usual spots fairly quickly. In the "morning" (as in almost noon), he was in his room barely waking up. For dinner, he was usually either in the library or his study. For lunch...

 

He was up the spiral staircase. You couldn't go up there, but you could hear small tidbits of what he could possibly be doing. It was so curious the sound, something you never heard before and it made you want to know  _so bad_. But you didn't even dare ask, you would just knock on the staircase's railing and leave the food on the first step. Everytime, the sound would stop immediately. A couple times, you heard a "thanks" call back.

 

Every bit of the food you made had to be self sustained, because he didn't want you to leave. So that meant you could only work with what he had in his garden and the number of animals he had out back. 

 

Luckily, one thing you had always been gifted with was how to cook. From apples to zucchini you knew the a-to-z's of food. This was something you even noticed Sans appreciate very much. And you actually appreciated his exquisite and useful kitchen. Every kind of cooking tool you could ask for was already there, and every recipe you could need was there too. Even though there were recipes, though, you still concocted your own every once in a while. To your surprise, your captor usually liked those the best.

 

Your relationship with Sans? So weird. Probably the weirdest. He was oddly not-villainy or harsh. He had no rules, save for clean, cook, don't touch my staircase, and don't leave. You'd even go as far to say he would try to be kind sometimes. You'd appreciate it if you weren't trapped here.

 

"i'm going out, do you want anything?" Your captor asked.

 

He was going out? You didn't know he did that... You were mid-dusting when he just appeared and asked you the question. The first couple times he did that it startled you and made him snicker. You had made an effort to not jump when he'd just appear after that. 

 

"How about..." You thought for a second. "My freedom?"

 

"how about... no?"

 

You went back to dusting. "Since when do you go out?"

 

"i go out all the time." He shrugged. "i just wanted to check if you wanted anything."

 

You blanked at him. He went out all the time? You've been here for weeks, no,  _months_  and you haven't noticed this? It's hard to keep track of the time when you do the same thing everyday...

 

"Can I go with you?" You asked.

 

It was Sans' turn to be taken back. "you want to go with me?"

 

"If I'm in your sight, I can't run off or tell anyone where you live." You fully turned to him and the motion made your captor take a step back.

 

"er..."

 

"Please?" You asked. "I won't be difficult, I promise."

 

He thought for a moment, "i guess-"

 

"I just want to leave." You said. "Even for a little bit."

 

Oh,  _that_ wasn't the right thing to say. You didn't know why though, how could he just forget he was keeping you here against your will? He looked at you annoyed for just a brief second, so brief if you blinked you would've missed it, before his lazy grin returned.

 

"maybe next time." You exhaled with disappointment, and he didn't miss it but didn't care. "anything you want while i'm out?"

 

Oh well, you'll guilt him into it next time. You thought hard about what you could ask for. "Could you... bring me back a blue rose?"

 

"a blue rose?" He asked.

 

You nodded, before going back to your dusting. "I promise I'm not trying to be ironic. I was reading of a lovely tea you could make with blue roses..."

 

"blue roses aren't common, kid." He commented. "i can't promise i'll be able to get you one."

 

"Are they magical?" You smiled. "Like the ones outside?"

 

He rolled his eyelights. "what did i say about sarcasm, kid?"

 

You laughed, and it startled him. For a glancing moment, you saw something change in his expression, but it was gone too quick before you could discern what it was. Regardless, you returned to your dusting again.

 

"Then I don't need anything, but thank you."

 

"..." He looked to the side. "will you make us some of the tea if i bring the rose to you?"

 

You looked to him. Us? You didn't want to have a tea party with him... But you really would like that rose. "Of course."

 

"alright," He didn't say anything more of it. "see you in a few."

 

And just like that, he was gone. You turned around, setting down your duster. 

 

"Sans?" You called out. No answer.

 

You went into the large, main hallway. "Sans?"

 

You checked his room, the kitchen, the library, his study, the bathroom; calling his name for each one, but they all got no response.

 

"He's gone."

 

You bolted for the spiral staircase, climbing up the forbidden steps as quickly as you could. You had no idea how long he would be, but if it really was that hard to get a blue rose maybe you bought yourself a little extra time. 

 

You could feel yourself lose your breath as your breath as you climbed the staircase up and up and up, until you realized you were high in the tower. Finally, as the walls narrowed the higher you climbed, you made it to the top, but only with one obstacle. 

 

A locked door.

 

A locked door? Really? Out of all of the magical barriers and showcases of witchcraft, a  _locked door_  was what he decided to keep you from going into his alleged super secret staircase?

 

This was going to be easy. You took a pin out of your hair, as you've read in books many time, and started to get to work on the lock. 

 

...

 

Turns out picking locks is alot harder than the books make it seem to be. You finagled and jerked the lock, but to no avail! You were beginning to wonder if it was magically locked rather than just your lack of talent foe picking locks, until something caught your eye...

 

And by something, you meant nothing. As you looked into the locked door's keyhole, the room behind it was barren! There was nothing but some hay and a window in there! Could he just practice his magic up here and that's it?

 

Wait... there was no way this could be it. Why would he be so adamant about you not coming in if you'd just find an empty tower? It could be a test, but you thought you'd be caught by now... There had to be something different. 

 

You looked around you carefully.  _Very_  carefully, determination pressing you forward. It would take, not just a beauty, but a brain to be able to find the beast's hidden secrets. You felt the walls for any loose stones, you scanned the door for any switches, you even grabbed a hold of a nearby torch to see if it would unlatch a secret room. Just as you were about to give in, you decided to try one thing. One thing you read in a book about a girl stuck in a labyrinth in search for her baby brother.

 

You knocked on the door. 

 

And it let you in. Just like that. All it took was being all it took was a little manners. You felt yourself pretty clever, but you were even more in awe at the room in front of you. It  _most certainly_  wasn't  _nothing._  

 

A room filled with the most interesting ornaments and items you had ever seen. To say it was messy was a  _ginormous_ understatement. It was chaos, that being the only way you could describe it. Science mingled with magic. As you walked in, you noted every color of liquid known to man or monster placed in bottles and containers of different shapes and sizes. You watched carefully a table filled with currently progressing experiments along with books of science and spells matched together, some pages ripped out and mixed. You also saw a joke book opened... 

 

Moving on you saw the most interesting machinery you'd ever seen in your life. Something intricate and heavily worked on, but you could only imagine what it was supposed to be used for with cogs sticking out of places you didn't even know it could. Next would be a cauldron with... soup? You took a quick whiff before dipping your finger in. Yep, definitely soup. Why that was there? You'd never know.

 

You realized a small drawer was hiding underneath a mountain of papers spoiled with stains and empty bottles. Opening one of the drawers, you immediately shut it as a burst of magic jumped out at you. You shook your head and opened the next one. Just a bunch of normal sand was in it. You opened the last one to see a stack of paper scratched with a language you didn't read on it. You closed it.

 

Heavens, you could get lost in here for hours, just turning around you'd see a new pile of  _stuff!_ It was almost overwhelming if you didn't find it so  _exciting_! Scratch that, it was equally overwhelming as it was exciting as you past a broken mirror and realized that magic drawer left your whole face blue. You grabbed a nearby semi-unused towel and wiped down your face. All clean. 

 

Unfortunately, you couldn't just sit there and roam the room for hours, your captor would return and kill you. So you had to quickly find something to help you escape, whether it was a magic tome or some kind of spell-y item or...

 

You looked over at the shelf of mysterious and various bottles. 

 

A potion, brilliant.

 

You made your way over to the shelf, stepping over various items of choice, before you started sifting through the bottles.

 

Some had labels, some did not. Some would crackle or fiz as you shook them, some just looked like condiments put in a fancy container. It wasn't until you found two certain bottles that you liked that you stopped. 

 

One filled with a midnight blue liquid and one filled with a deep black liquid.

 

On the black bottle there was a skull and crossbones. You assumed it meant instant death, but maybe it just meant a deep sleep?

 

You turned the label over. It read, "Instant and Immediate Painful Death", silencing your confusion. Oh... Painful death? You weren't the type to back out of a situation easily, but... death was a bit harsh...

 

Though, what if Sans decided to follow you? Hunt you down after you'd run away, and kill you right there? He had threatened your life. Multiple times. At first, you were certain he had nothing holding him back from snapping your neck... but...

 

Now you weren't so sure about his stone cold heartlessness. You weren't excusing him, not even a little, but you prided yourself on being a pretty accurate judge of character. And your captor? Not the heartless beast he wanted you to think he was. Why would he force you to stay here if he could just snap his fingers and have you killed? Why would he ask if you wanted anything while he was out if he didn't have feelings? You didn't believe he was a cold-marrowed killer, but you did believe he was a kidnapping psychopath.

 

You put the black liquid down. Karma is a just mistress, and you didn't want to know what would happen to you if you killed somebody that didn't deserve it completely. Instead you picked up the midnight blue liquid.

 

It was similar in shape and size, but instead of skull and crossbones on it, it just had "Zzz" on it. As opposed to the black abyss-like liquid, this liquid was deep and smooth; less haunting. You were quite fond of the soothing color, even just looking at it made you want to sleep.

 

And to no surprise, when you turned the label over you read, "Everlasting and Eventual Deep Sleep". This was more up your alley. 

 

How would he wake up from the sleep, though? You didn't know, and definitely didn't care. What matters was he wasn't going to die. You remembered reading in a book about a princess that was in a deep sleep. She was awakened with a kiss. You laughed at the thought of your captor being awakened by a valiant princess like that. Too bad he'd probably kidnap her, too.

 

You stuffed the bottle in your pocket, and tried to return everything back to where it originally was as best as you could. Though, there were some previously moving items that were self-sustaining on their own, so you didn't worry too much about it. You rushed out of the room and closed the door, before escaping down the steps as fast as you could. If he showed up as you were climbing down the steps, all of that would've been in vain.

 

But thank the high heavens, you made it. You rushed to the kitchen, hurrying over to the spice cabinet, where you shoved the bottle of midnight liquid deep behind all of the other spices before closing the cabinet and hurrying out of the kitchen. 

 

Now you were safe. But what now? You supposed it was a wise idea to find a couple of things to clean while you waited for your captor to return...

 

* * *

 

You didn't know when Sans got back. Your heart was pounding the whole time he was gone, and then he didn't even bother to show up to you when he got back. The only reason you knew he was back, and for who knows how long, was because eventually you went back to the kitchen to get a drink and the blue rose was sitting on the counter. If it weren't so beautiful and the gesture of him actually getting it to you so kind, you would've been annoyed. 

 

You walked over to the blue rose. It was sprinkled with dew drops and when you held it up to smell it was sweet. It was unlike any other rose you had seen or smelled before. It was almost entrancing...

 

You heard your captor clear his throat from behind you.

 

You turned slightly.  _Now_  he shows up.

 

"is that the one you wanted?"

 

"Yep." You set it down on the counter. "Thank you."

 

"don't worry about it." He closed his eyesockets. "how was your time alone?"

 

"I'm almost always alone." You commented.

 

"... true." He looked at you closer, and you turned to look at him in return. "but at least did you enjoy yourself?"

 

"It's hard to enjoy yourself when your stuck, but other than that then yes. I enjoyed my time alone."

 

He didn't pay any attention to the jab you left him. "did you do anything different while i was gone?" 

 

You were never a  _bad_ liar, and you could always keep a straight face, but it didn't stop you from feeling everso nervous when he'd ask specific questions like  _that._ "Not really. Why do you ask?"

 

"your heart's racing."

 

He could hear your  _heart?_ That was new. You let your heart race even faster. "I didn't..." You looked away, pushing your hair behind your ears. "I didn't expect you to actually bring me the rose..."

 

His eyesockets widened, before he leaned away from you. "ah, gotcha. welp, glad you like it."

 

"Quit listening to my heart." You said, focusing on your breathing to slow it's pace. "That's weird." 

 

"you wound me when you say that," His grin widened. "simply  _heart-wrenching_."

 

You blinked. You would've laughed if it was literally anyway else, but you just let out a, "Har-har, very funny."

 

"what can i say, i don't miss a  _beat_ when it comes to jokes."

 

You rolled your eyes, before ushering him out the door. "I have to make tea now."

 

"don't drink too much," His smile only widened as you pushed him out the door. "you'll get  _heart burn._ "

 

You gave him one last push out into the hallway, and said, "Keep telling jokes like that and I'll go into  _cardiac arrest._ "

 

And then you slammed the door. As you turned around, you heard him snort but just as quick as he was there, he was gone. You actually turned back and opened the door a crack. Yep, he was gone. Good. It was time to make sleepytime tea. 

 

You made sure to keep your heart rate low, taking deep breaths and thinking of pleasant things. You didn't know how far away he could tell your heart beat, but you didn't want to find out. You were sure if you asked he would tell you a lie anyway...

 

And then you got to brewing. Grabbing a tea pot, you added in all the necessary ingredients for the delicious blue rose tea. As the concoction grew warmer, you picked up the blue rose. You had to admit, you were a little sad about destroying the beauty. But you pulled apart the petals, turning the tea into a deep blue color. 

 

Perfect. You grabbed the tea pot and poured the drink into two delicate tea cups. You stirred the two drinks.

 

Now, for the best ingredient... You grabbed from the spice cabinet the midnight potion. 

 

How much should you add? You looked for anything on the label, but unfortunately here was nothing. Maybe you could just add a drop at a time to see how much you should add...

 

Oh, yep. A drop was just fine. As you added just one drop, you nearly passed out at the potion met the tea, a puff of night sky erupting for a split second from the concoction. 

 

You set the potion back and began to stir. The midnight drop mixed in perfectly well with the sweet blue tea. You took a clipped rose petal and put it in his, while you took a normal rose petal and put it in yours. Now, you'd be able to tell who's was who's. 

 

All done. But now...

 

You took a deep breath, slowing your heart. You couldn't think of the poison, you just had to think of pleasant things. Calmly, you straightened your back, grabbed the tray, and headed out of the kitchen.

 

As you walked down the hallway, you realized you didn't know where he was. Just as you were about to call his name, though, you spotted him in the dining room.

 

It was a long walk from the end of the room, to him. His table was unusually large for just one person to use. It easily could've fit forty people, a whole party... Luckily, you were able to keep your cool the whole walk down. And by luckily, you meant you had to think of the word  _murder_  repeated to stay stoic.

 

When you reached him, you saw he was nonchalantly reading a book in a language you didn't know. When you peeked over, he smiled at you, and you knew he knew you couldn't read it. 

 

You set down his cup and then set down yours. Just as you were about to sit down, he said, "thanks."

 

He was so weird. You couldn't wait to get out of there.

 

"Don't mention it." You said, taking your seat. 

 

He lifted up his cup, and you made sure to think of roses and books and literally anything but the cup.

 

"it smells so sweet."

 

"That's because it is sweet." You took a sip of yours. It was delicious. 

 

He looked to you, as if watching your movements. You tilted your head in question. "What's wrong?"

 

"..." He didn't say anything.

 

You knew you had kept your heart rate low, why was he...? You looked to you cup. 

 

Oh, shoot. 

 

A clipped rose petal.

 

You blinked. "How did you switch them?"

 

"magic." He closed his eyesockets, taking a sip from what was supposed to be your cup. "i knew you were a liar. didn't know you were  _that_ good of a liar, though."

 

"I didn't  _lie,_ again..." You felt your eyes droop as you leaned on the table. "But... fooling counts, doesn't it?"

 

"yep." 

 

You sighed. All of the sudden, you were very...

 

Very......

 

Sleepy........

 

* * *

 

 

 

You woke up with the worst headache. What was with all this sunlight? No thanks. You rolled over.

 

"hey."

 

Even more no thanks. You put the blanket over your head.

 

Your captor snickered. "you wanna sleep even longer?"

 

Sleep? Wait.

 

Roses. The potion. Switching cups.

 

You threw the blanket off of you and sat up. "How long have I been asleep?"

 

"three days." Sans was sitting at your bedside. But this wasn't your bed,  it was his.

 

You blinked. "Why three-?"

 

But he cut off your question. "honestly, you couldn't imagine my surprise when you just  _fell asleep_."

 

You squinted at him. "You knew it was poisoned, but you were surprised when I was poisoned?"

 

He shook his head. "i thought you'd be dead. though, you were surprisingly calm for someone who would be dying."

 

"..." You furrowed your brow. "You were going to let me die?"

 

He shrugged, "if you tried to kill me. but..."

 

Karma truly was a just mistress. You were glad you chose the midnight liquid.

 

"... you didn't..."

 

"Surprised?"

 

"actually, yeah." He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his cloak.

 

You rolled your eyes. "I may be a "liar", but I'm not a murderer."

 

"just a putter-in-a-deep-sleeper."

 

You actually laughed at that, and you saw his expression brighten. "Pretty much." But you paused. "But wait, how did you wake me up?"

 

"so anyway," You were annoyed with how he ignored your question. "the place is a mess, are you good to start cleaning?"

 

You exhaled. Basically in a magical coma for three days and it's right back to work. You ran your hands through your hair. "I suppose so."

 

"great." He said. "also, i got a bouquet of those blue roses. i'm not usually a tea person, but those were pretty good. think you could make some more for me?"

 

An odd request after you just tried to poison him with that same tea. "Of course."

 

"i would suggest not poisoning it this time, though." He looked to the side. "i might not wake you up next time."

 

"Yeah, how did you-?"

 

"looks like you're good to go." He stood up. "i'll be in the study when you finish it."

 

You exhaled, exasperated. "Your wish is my command."


	5. Rapunzel (Swapfell Papyrus)

You leaned on the windowsill as you dreamily looked up at the sky. It was sunrise, and absolutely gorgeous. The colors of pinks, oranges, blues, and purples all mingled together, blending to paint a beautiful horizon. It made you sigh. You wondered what it'd be like to touch all of the wonderful colors, to feel them inbetween your fingers. You're absolutely certain it would feel so soft but smooth!

 

You exhaled, yes the horizon looked beautiful, but also the grass, the creek, the trees all looked so beautiful as well! Something about how vivid and vibrant the colors were, especially as they were glazed with the sunrise's light. You always wished to feel the grass inbetween your fingers. Your master had brought up some grass for you to feel, but you knew it wasn't the same as feeling the live grass all around. The very thought made your heart skip at trying these things for yourself.

 

Ever since you were born, you had only known two things. Number one: The Tower was safe. That was something that was ingrained into you, something that you were told over and over and over again. Going out would mean immediate death. You didn't know how it would be immediate death, but apparently it would be. You couldn't say you truly believe that... You had read in so many books of people that didn't live in towers and were perfectly fine! Your master said it was just fiction, but you even threw a stone out of the tower. Nothing happened. You were sure it was your masters way of keeping you in the tower. Maybe your unbearable curiosity would be the death of you, or maybe that was what would open a whole new world to you...

 

Number two: Your master was your whole world. You didn't mean that in an admirational way, though you did love him dearly. It was just that he was it. You hadn't ever met a single other creature. One time, a bird flew up to you at the top of the tower, but when you tried to talk to it, it flew away. You weren't necessarily saying that was a bad thing, but sometimes it did get a little lonely because he wasn't here all the time. 

 

Your master was a different character. At first, you thought it was normal for him to act the way he act. But once you learned how to read, you realized that may have not been the case. He was

... you'd have to meet him to understand. 

 

He only had two rules. The first one? Don't leave. Anything else, and it didn't matter to him what you did. But everytime you express your want to leave, he got... not very happy. Luckily, you've learned how to sedate his rage over the years, but it still was a bumpy ride.

 

The second one? Don't cut your hair. One thing he loved more than anything was your hair. He adored it, would brush it, sometimes just hold it when he could, running his phalanges through it. It was something that you found out was particularly odd, especially when you asked him why nobody in books loved hair so much. He threatened to take away your books after that. You never brought it back up again.

 

So that was your life. You spent the days reading and reading and reading. Everytime your master asked you if you wanted anything, you asked for a new book. You had a library, an archive of books, and it was something you were more than proud of. Your master was a little weary of giving you books at first. He made it very clear he wasn't supportive of your hobby, but it kept you content and less restless about wanting to leave, so he would pick you out a new book every once in a while.

 

You had to have read every single book in your library multiple times. At least ten times per a book. Your favorite one, a story of a girl taking treats to her grandmother and meeting a certain wolf along the way, was your favorite. How many times had you read it? You couldn't tell even if you wanted to.

 

But today. Today was a special day. It was the day you were finally going to find out for yourself whether or not you would actually die if you left the tower. You weren't going to  _ask_  your master. No, you weren't  _crazy_. You had been down that path too many times to be comfortable. And your master was more than upset everytime you asked, each time getting more irate than the last. This time... you were going to figure it out for yourself.

 

"stop looking out the window, you'll fall out." 

 

You turned to see your master setting down a basketfull of groceries. It wasn't uncommon for your master to just "pop in". In fact, that's just what he did, show up without having to walk in or climb up. You asked him how he did it, but he just laughed at you.

 

"Sorry, Purple..." You stepped away from the window and came closer to your master. "The sunrise was just so pretty!"

 

Purple rolled his eyelights. "s'fine."

 

He sat down at your small table that only had two chairs. You grabbed the ingredients and got to work cooking. Seemed like he wanted eggs for breakfast this morning. You cracked a few after you lit a fire. "How was your day yesterday?"

 

"s'fine." 

 

His lack of conversation was nothing new. "What did you do?"

 

He hummed with thought as he leaned on his hand. "i got to see my brother..."

 

You smiled, "Really? That must've been wonderful."

 

He smiled ever so slightly. He adored his brother, you knew very well. Purple looked to you for a brief second. "you know, he keeps a girl about your age with him too."

 

You tilted your head as the eggs cooked, "Really?"

 

He grinned, "she couldn't be less like you." 

 

You hoped that was a good thing. You flipped over an egg. "Anything else happen yesterday?"

 

"stop asking questions."

 

You closed your mouth and went back to cooking. You knew not to take it personally, that was just his way of saying he didn't want to talk anymore. You silently slide the eggs onto two plates, before bringing them to his side. You set one down in front of him, and then one down in front of the spot next to him before you sat down next to him. You were about to dig in to your food, when Purple poked your forehead.

 

""thank you for the food, master."" He repeated.

 

You rubbed your forehead. Geez, his phalanges were sharp... "Thank you for the food, Master." You responded. He seemed satisfied with that, and started eating. 

 

You weren't three bites in before you started looking to the side and were tapping on the table. He looked to you with distaste, noticing something was wrong, before he sighed and said, "what."

 

It was less like a question and more like a demand to tell him what you were thinking. "Well... I wanted to ask for something..."

 

He closed his eyesockets and kept eating, "i'm not getting you another book this week."

 

"No, not that..." You seemed to peek his interest when you said that. "Do you remember the cookbook that you got me a little while ago?"

 

He leaned on the table. "yes?"

 

"There was a recipe that I really wanted to make..." You tried to make yourself look as bashful as possible. "For this blue rose tea?"

 

Purple exhaled. "blue roses aren't easy to come by." You knew this.

 

You clasped your hands together, "Please? I really  _really_  just want to try making it, I heard it's so sweet and so good and I'll make some for you too?"

 

He leaned away from you, "i don't-"

 

You got up and grabbed his hand, "I promise I won't ask for anything else for the whole month! Not even any books!"

 

He eyed you for a second, looking you up and down. He seemed to be debating with himself, before he said, "say please, again."

 

" _Please,_ master?" You held his hand against your heart. 

 

He turned to the side and sighed again, but you noticed the twisted grin he was trying to hide. "fine."

 

You gasped joyfully, "Thank-!"

 

"but i get to braid your hair before i go."

 

"Of course!" You smiled. "Thank you so so so much!"

 

You turned around and sat down at his feet, and you could just hear his baited breath. Your practically emotionless master got like this everytime he was about to touch your hair, whether that be brushing it or caressing it or whatever it be. It was just a friendly reminder that he was still a living being and not completely made out of stone, even though it was a little odd of a fascination.

 

His hands hovered for just a second over your hair as if he was debating on where to start, before he gently brushed your hair with his phalanges. It always felt so nice, though some days he was rough with your hair. Today he wasn't though, as he toyed and twirled the strands in between his fingers. 

 

Then, he separated the hair, and you knew this wasn't going to be very quick...

 

* * *

 

It was noon, already! But he managed to finish putting your hair into two very very  _very_  long braids. As he tied the last hair tie, he exhaled. 

 

"all done." He said.

 

You stood up and turned around, lifting the braids up slightly. He always managed to make perfect braids, not a strand out of place. "Thank you, master."

 

"wait." Purple stood up. He took your braids in his hands, before he wrapped it around your neck loosely a couple times. When he was finished, it looked like a scarf. He grinned, satisfied with his work. "perfect."

 

You lifted one of the now much shorter braids. You looked up to him and smiled. Grabbing his hand and pulling him down, you stood on your tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek bone. "Thank you."

 

He blinked in surprise, a dust of purple marking his face. It wasn't often you could catch him off guard, but you always celebrated when you did. He snatched your arm and pulled you closer towards him, before leaving a gentle kiss on the bridge of your nose. You smiled at the gesture as he pulled back.

 

He turned around. "don't die while i'm gone."

 

"Bye, Purple." You said. "I love you."

 

He stopped for just a glancing moment. Ha, got him twice in a row. But just as you blinked, he was gone. 

 

"Purple?" You called once. No response.

 

"Purple?" You called twice. No response. 

 

The time was now. 

 

You ran to the window. Taking the end of both of your braids, you tied them to the windowsill. You tied them in just the right position that they wouldn't get loose. Honestly, you wished Purple hadn't tied your hair in braids, that made your rope a little shorter. You wondered briefly if he did that on purpose. But it would take to long to untie them, and you still had enough room to get down and to enjoy a few of the things around the tower.

 

You looked down. It was a  _very_  long drop. It made your heart stop for just a second.

 

But, it was either now or never. 

 

You took both of your braids and started descending down. Slowly but surely you were able to make your way down the tower. As you went down you had to stop a couple times. If Purple was telling the truth, this would mean certain death... But you were so positive that you wouldn't die. Otherwise, Purple sure would be a little more than upset when he found your dead body at the base of the tower.

 

Finally, you descended to the end of the tower, still a couple handfuls of hair left. You stopped, your heart beating faster and faster. No one would blame you if you just turned around now and went back up. After all, descending was an adventure right there? But you weren't satisfied with just coming close! Filled with determination, you stuck one foot out to touch the grass.

 

... No pain.

 

You put your whole foot on the grass.

 

..... No death.

 

You let go and let yourself stand on the grass. It was not as soft as you imagined it. But... it was so  _alive!_

Ha! You looked up to the tower and stuck your tongue out. You  _knew_ you wouldn't die! You jumped on the grass a couple times to prove that. 

 

Turning around, you had a whole couple yard radius in front of you. The first the you wanted to do was to feel the patch of wild flowers in your hand. Running to their side, you knelt down next to them and grabbed an armful.

 

You breathed in. They smelled so much sweeter alive! Albeit a little crumpled after you got a hold of them...

 

You then ran to the nearby river, wanting to feel the water in between your fingers. It startled you how cold it was, but your hands got used to it before you put your whole arms in, feeling the sand in between your fingers.

 

Next, you saw a small flock of birds gathered together. Maybe they wouldn't fly away now that you weren't in the tower. You slowly walked towards them, being careful not to scare them and putting special emphasis on your gentleness. You extended a finger, waiting ever so patiently, when you heard something drop behind you, scaring the birds away.

 

You turned around and you heart dropped. 

 

Well, darn.

 

Purple was standing there, eyelights filled with shock as he dropped a small box you assumed had the blue rose in it. He took alot less time than you anticipated.

 

Maybe he wouldn't be too mad?

 

\---

 

" **i have no rules,** _no rules,_ **except for** _two._ "

 

He was really  _really_ mad. 

 

The whole room was filled with a thick, purple smoke that seethed out as Purple ranted to you. To say he was mad was a bit of an understatement. He was  _livid._ You couldn't bring yourself to look up to him, so you made sure to keep your eyes on your feet. It was probably better that way, anyway, because you knew he would only get more mad if you showed any signs of even a little defiance. 

 

"...Don't leave the tower and don't cut my hair?"

 

" _ **repeat the first one.**_ "

 

"Don't leave the tower...?"

 

" _again._ "

 

You swallowed, shuffling your feet. "Don't leave the tower..."

 

He paced back and forth to keep himself from snapping you in two. " **i should have that _carved  _into your skin for breaking that rule!**" He burned. " **what possessed you to think that was a good idea?!** "

 

"I'm sorry, Purple!" You almost yelled.

 

" **how many times have i told you the tower is safe?!** "

 

"But!" You looked up to him. "I didn't get hurt! Not even-"

 

Oh, that didn't make him happy. If looks could kill, that would've demolished you. He looked like he was two seconds from shoving a sharpened bone down your throat.

 

"Sorry..."

 

" **honestly!** " He threw his hand up in the air while he raked his skull with his other hand. " **am i going to have to bolt up the windows now?!** "

 

"No!" You rammed yourself into him, grabbing his waist and pulling tight. "Please don't! I just want to go outside so bad!"

 

" _don't say that_ -!"

 

"But I do!" You made sure to keep your eyes open without blinking. He always seemed to like it when you cried. "I just want to go out and see what it's like beyond the tower!"

 

" **you don't know what your asking for!** " He yelled, throwing you off of him and onto the floor.

 

You lifted yourself to your knees and clasped your hands together, tears now in your eyes, "Please, Purple! Please please please please  _please!_ "

 

" **stop it!** "

 

"I'm  _begging_ you!" You cried. "I won't ask for anything else for the rest of the  _year!_  You can be with me the whole time to make sure I'm safe! I'll hold onto you the whole time so I won't run off! I'll do anything you ask, just  _please_ let me go outside!"

 

He hesitated. Got him.

 

"Please?" You said, this time quieter. 

 

He looked to you, rage still boiling beneath his bones, before he all at once closed his eyesockets and started to control his breathing. You could tell he was trying to quench his anger, and you knew staying silent would help. Like magic, the smoke started to lift.

 

"you..." He seemed to be choosing his words very  _very_  carefully. You exhaled in relief over the weight that left his voice, but the strain was still there. "you're not going to do  _stupid_  things like  _leaving the tower without my permission_  if i take you outside?"

 

You beamed, "Never  _ever_ again."

 

He continued to debate with himself, and you couldn't believe it! You had actually convinced him to let you go outside the tower! You were more than a little proud of yourself for being able to sway your controlling master. Who knew all it took was a little determination over the course of a decade or two and you were able to turn his heart around! We'll, if he had a heart...

 

"you stay within my sight  _the whole time_."

 

"Understood!" Ah! You were so excited you felt your heart leap out of you chest!

 

"don't do  _anything_ without my permission."

 

"Yes, sir!" You could just imagine how much farther you'll go without your hair tying you down!

 

"and  _i_ decide when we leave, not you."

 

"Of course!" You wondered if you'd even get to meet and actual person! Someone who's not your master!

 

"and  _stop acting so excited._ "

 

You closed your mouth and put a hand over it to contain your zeal. You just couldn't help yourself! 

 

Purple exhaled, before he said, "stand up."

 

You did, and he started wrapping your hair loosely around your neck again, creating a scarf. When you looked down to see his work, he was gone. You lifted your head, and turned from side to side, but he was no where to be found. Just when you were about to call after him, you felt a weight over your shoulders. It was a purple cloak. He pulled the hood over your hair, and walked around you to tie the bow in the front. You wondered briefly where he got the cloak.

 

"don't take it off." He said. "even if someone threatens you."

 

You didn't know about that, but you knew it was best to comply to his wishes, so you nodded.

 

Purple looked to the side. You could see he was having second thoughts about the whole thing and your heart almost dropped. "...maybe-"

 

You knew you had to do something, so you softly grabbed onto his cloak and smiled at him. This seemed to do the trick, as he swallowed his words. 

 

He grabbed your wrists and said, "close your eyes."

 

You did, and a rush of... something fell over you. You didn't know what it was, but you heard your masters voice very clearly when it stopped.

 

"open them."

 

You did. You were outside! With no fear of getting caught because Purple was right next to you! Oh, you just couldn't wait to explore more of the outside! You beamed at Purple, but he just rolled his eyelights. 

 

"Can I...?"

 

He grabbed onto one of your braids and said, "yes." Despite the cold tone he tried to portray, you could tell it made him happy when you asked.

 

You rushed over to the flowers first. Oh, they were still so warm and alive! The way the sun bathed them made them so vibrant! You grabbed an armful and hugged them close to you. They were so colorful! 

 

But now, you knew you could go even farther! You couldn't stop yourself from going place to place. You ran over to a tree to see what lived there, you ran around the tower to see what was behind it, you ran to a rock to roll it over. The entire time, Purple was just leaning against the front of the tower, holding onto your braid, watching you as you went. 

 

So much excitement! Imagine your surprise when you found a small bug! You held it in your hand. It was a new friend, and you loved him already. But then, in a matter of moments it flew out of your hand. You had to admit, you were a little disappointed by that, but you knew if you loved something you had to let it go.

 

"you might find a fish in the river?"

 

You cocked your head at the sound of your master's voice. Before you turned to the river. You went down to the river and leaned over the bank. He was right! There were fish-!

 

You felt something push you as you fell into the cold depths. 

 

Emerging from the water, you shivered. It was so cold... 

 

"oh, no..." Purple walked over to the bank. You could've sworn you saw him smile for a brief moment. "you fell."

 

You looked down in the river. How cool, the fish were swimming all around you!

 

"poor thing, you must be so cold." Purple shrugged. "we better get you insi-"

 

All at once, you lunged your hands in the water and showed Purple. "Look!"

 

There was a fish in your hands.

 

Purple was not impressed.

 

"aren't you cold?"

 

You laughed, "A little." You dragged yourself out of the water and started ringing out your hair. 

 

"we can get you dry-"

 

You rushed passed Purple and headed for the small group of trees on the other side of the tower.

 

"-...inside." Purple exhaled.

 

Your heard birds chirping in the trees! You looked up and saw a small nest of a mama bird feeding her baby birds. You had only seen it in picture books, but it was so much sweeter in real life! You wanted to hold the small nest, but you read about how that could ruin they're habitat.

 

In the next tree over you saw two squirrels fighting over an acorn. You thought it was so cute so you picked up an acorn and handed it to the other squirrel. The small mammal was alarmed at first as the other squirrel ran away, but soon it snatched it out of your hand and ran the other direction. 

 

And one other tree, you saw a handful of butterflies batting their wings on the branches. They were so pretty! You reached out slowly, and one even flew on your finger! How gentle was that? All these creatures were so wonderful!

 

"i bet you could find another animal in there."

 

You looked up. Purple managed to get behind you. He was pointing to an ominous hole that was burrowed next to the tree.

 

"Yeah?"

 

He nodded, grinning. "lots of animals burrow in the ground, especially near trees."

 

You smiled, before kneeling down and shoving your whole hand into the hole. You felt something smooth and slick, so you decided to pull it out.

 

In your hand hissed a bright, slithering snake. It writhed in your hand, it's pointed fangs protruding threateningly.

 

"oh no, it's a snake." Despite his efforts to sound concerned, his monotone voice didn't change, but his expression did as the snake coiled around your arm.

 

"Aww, how cute!" The snake rested up against your hands as it's coil slid across your arm.

 

" _cute_?" Purple said with distaste.

 

You giggled as the snake started to lick your fingers.

 

"what the...?" Purple grabbed the snake and tossed it hissing across the grass. Purple mumbled under his breath, "stupid snake can't even do it's job."

 

You laughed at your masters words, and he seemed irritated by it. But you just took him by the hand and took him to the small patch of wild flowers. Purple blinked once or twice in surprise, but let you do as you wanted.

 

You pulled up one or two big purple flowers, coupled with a few smaller pink and blue flower, before you set them around his skull to make a pretty flower crown.

 

"There you go." You smiled at him.

 

He barely grazed it with the tips of his phalanges. You could tell he thought it was really dumb, but you found the gesture really sweet when he kept it on for the sake of you. Though, you had to admit the image of someone as terrifying and dark as purple wearing such an innocent thing, like a flower crown, was a little comedic if not cute.

 

He grabbed two purple flowers back and put them in your hair back, sliding them behind your ears. 

 

"they look better on you." He stated that more like a fact rather than a compliment, and your sure he meant it as a fact too.

 

"Do they?"

 

He hummed in confirmation. "they'd look better without the braids..."

 

You smiled, before taking out your braids. You were alot faster than Purple, since he liked to take his time caressing your hair, and plus taking them out was faster than putting them in. When your long hair dropped to the floor, your hood falling off of you, you said, "Like this?"

 

He let out another humm, this one of contentment, his phalanges tracing your jaw line. "you're so good to me."

 

You smiled, taking off his flower crown and the flowers in your hair, before you heard something you'd never heard before. And that was distant voices, from someone other than Purple and yourself. You turned to the noise, but something stopped you, something you also had never seen before. 

 

And that was Purple's expression. Straight fear. You couldn't even deny it, and it was something that made you tilt your head. It didn't seem like fear for his life, but instead... fear he would lose something...

 

All at once he grabbed your wrists harshly and you slammed your eyes shut. That recently familiar feeling washed over you and you were back in the tower.

 

" _there_." He threw your hands down. You wondered what could've made him so upset all of the sudden? But you kept your calm demeanor as he hissed at you. You couldn't help but think of the snake that hissed at you too. "are you happy? you got to go out and experience the  _real world_."

 

You opened your mouth to respond, but he cut you off.

 

"are you going to  _beg and cry_  to go back out?" Despite his harsh words, you could tell he was really asking himself those questions in frustration. "are you going to try and find a way to get me to let you out again? anything to leave me,  _right_?"

 

You almost stuttered at the response but he interrupted you again.

 

"don't tell me you want to stay out there  _forever_  and  _never come back_  because of  _how much_  you just  _love_  being out and-!"

 

You grabbed a hold of his waist and he stopped as you hugged yourself closer to him. "No, I'm satisfied. I'm content with staying here."

 

At least, until the next time you wanted to go out.

 

Like water poured onto a fire, his rage was extinguished. You didn't know why he was so fearful of you leaving him, but you knew it was probably going to be baby steps until you could actually got out and talk to people. But for now, you heard his breath gain wait at the reassurance that you weren't going to leave him.

 

"... _sweet girl_..."

**Author's Note:**

> I sure do love a good fairy tale...


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